Sean 'Diddy' Combs trial, day 8: Lawyers confront Cassie Ventura with years of text messages

[ad_1] After two days of testimony about how her relationship with Sean "Diddy" Combs grew violent and coercive, Cassie Ventura confronted six hours of grueling cross-examination on Thursday, as protection attorneys tried to solid doubt on her credibility and painting her as a keen participant of their sexual actions.

Protection attorneys turned to a decade of archived textual content messages to query Ventura concerning the consistency of her earlier testimony, highlighting her obvious eagerness to have interaction in Combs' life-style of swinging at drug-fueled orgies. They insist that she was not a sufferer of intercourse trafficking or racketeering and that Combs is harmless of the federal expenses he is dealing with.

Throughout different parts of the cross-examination, Combs' legal professional Anna Estevao appeared to make use of seemingly mundane messages – like planning dates or expressing their romantic emotions to 1 one other – as a chance to humanize Combs, who often nodded his head as his legal professionals questioned Ventura.

Combs' legal professionals have argued that, whereas he has made errors, engaged in home violence and abused medicine, he by no means sexually assaulted or trafficked anybody. Seated subsequent to his legal professionals, Combs appeared engaged within the cross-examination and at one level signaled a coronary heart together with his palms towards the spouse of his major protection legal professional, a former prosecutor whose shoppers now embody alleged UnitedHealthcare CEO homicide suspect Luigi Mangione, who has entered a not responsible plea.

Ventura's testimony because the star witness for the prosecution is predicted to conclude tomorrow, given considerations that the singer, now eight months pregnant, may go into labor as early as this weekend.

Lawyer Anna Estevao cross-examines Casandra "Cassie" Ventura throughout Sean "Diddy" Combs' intercourse trafficking trial in New York Metropolis, Might 15, 2025, on this courtroom sketch.

Jane Rosenberg/Reuters

Protection legal professionals use textual content messages to point out mutual affection between Combs and Ventura Ventura brazenly acknowledged in each her direct and cross-examinations that she cherished Combs for greater than a decade and hoped to construct a life with him. She informed jurors she fell in love with Combs shortly after they met, and jurors noticed messages from the beginning of their relationship.

"We have solely actually had one week of one another simply collectively and I can say that it has been the perfect and worst," Ventura wrote in 2007. "I am unhappy, mad, annoyed and damage that you just simply do not feel like I am the suitable one."

Jurors additionally noticed messages from August 2009, when the couple first went public with their relationship, and different messages from greater than two years into their relationship.

"I like you a lot it consumes my life," she wrote in April 2010.

Ventura testified that whereas the messages appeared constructive, she started to see a special facet of Combs as they spent extra time collectively – one which she stated was susceptible to violence, jealousy and rage.

"The extra time I spent with him and received to know him, his actual persona -- or not less than what I assumed was his actual persona -- got here out," Ventura testified.

Protection legal professionals press Ventura about obvious willingness to have interaction in freak-offs Throughout her direct examination, Ventura acknowledged she first agreed to take part in a freak-off to make Combs completely satisfied by indulging in his sexual fantasy. She stated she rapidly realized she didn't benefit from the drug-fueled orgies that would go on for days and included her having sexual encounters with prostitutes and strangers.

To counter Ventura's assertion she was coerced to plan and take part in freak-offs, protection attorneys introduced a sequence of messages apparently displaying a special perspective. "I am at all times able to freak off," she wrote in August 2009.

Jurors additionally noticed textual content messages that recommended Combs expressed curiosity in Ventura's needs, although she had beforehand testified these didn't matter to Combs. The messages additionally appear to point out she tried to please Combs by making ready for the freak-offs, together with by visiting a intercourse store upfront of an orgy.

"Looking for one thing to impress you," she wrote in a single message. A minimum of one of many jurors raised his eyebrows as an specific message was proven in court docket.

Protection attorneys pressed Ventura about her causes for being reluctant to have interaction in freak-offs, suggesting she was annoyed not by the violence or coercion however fairly as a result of she wished extra from the connection.

"After we used to freak off when had been so in love. There have been no questions requested, it felt proper, prefer it actually made sense for the following step in our intercourse life collectively. I get nervous that I am simply changing into the girlfriend that you just get your fantasies off with and that is it. I do not get the opposite half," Ventura wrote in a message to Combs from December 2009.

Throughout her first two days of testimony, Ventura testified at size a few 2016 episode when she stated she tried to depart a freak-off however was attacked by Combs – an assault that was captured on surveillance video and proven to jurors. On cross-examination, Ventura was proven textual content messages that recommended she was wanting to take part within the freak-off, and Combs' violence might need been influenced by his drug use.

"The medicine that you just and Mr. Combs took that day had been a foul batch of MDMA, proper?" Estevao stated.

"I don't know," Ventura requested.

Protection attorneys recommend relationship was outlined by mutual jealousy Protection attorneys pressed Ventura concerning the flaws in her relationship with Combs, arguing the jealousy and infidelity went each methods for the couple.

Ventura admitted she "had some jealousy" of Kim Porter, the late mom of 4 of Combs' youngsters, and was upset when Combs continued a relationship with one other girl.

"It was disappointing and hurtful to search out out you were not the principle girlfriend?" Estevao requested.

"Sure," Ventura replied. "It did not pertain to each state of affairs, however I used to be undoubtedly jealous of sure conditions he was in."

Jurors had been proven textual content messages displaying Combs and Ventura expressing anger about one another's infidelity, with Combs seeing one other girl whereas Ventura was in a relationship with actor Michael B. Jordan. Ventura was requested about her relationship with Child Cudi – whose actual title is Scott Ramon Seguro Mescudi, and who she beforehand testified she stopped seeing due to pressure with Combs – and the way she stated Combs "lunged" at her when he found their relationship throughout a freak-off.