The Trial Of Sean "Diddy" Combs Officially Kicks Off In Manhattan Today After Denied Plea Deals, A Key Witness Going Missing, And Evidence Allegedly Destroyed. Here's What To Know And What To Expect

Rolling Stone - Sean “Diddy” Combs admitted he was a “little nervous” in the run-up to his criminal trial, as the hip-hop mogul looked into the eyes of the potential jurors who will render a verdict on the sex trafficking and racketeering charges against him. 

The Bad Boy Entertainment founder made the confession to U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian earlier this week after his team asked for a quick bathroom break during the  first day of questioning potential jurors on their backgrounds. 

Prosecutors from the Southern District of New York have claimed that for decades, Combs used his billion-dollar empire as a criminal enterprise that included acts of arson, bribery, kidnapping and the sex trafficking of two girlfriends between 2009 and 2024. Combs has denied the accusations and pleaded not guilty to the five felony charges against him. 

Combs has forged ahead with a speedy trial, rejecting a plea deal from prosecutors disclosed last month. He’s beefed up his already stacked criminal defense team, adding three more attorneys to his all-star roster, including Young Thug’s attorney Brian Steel, who helped secure the Atlanta rapper a favorable deal in a separate RICO case last October. 

Court will begin an hour early on May 12 to accommodate the selection process and opening statements, which are still slated to begin that day.

This comes after the jury pool was narrowed to 45 candidates across three days of intense questioning from the prosecution, defense and Judge Arun Subramanian. The number went down to 43 potential jurors while court was in session on May 9.

Well, after being indicted by a federal grand jury, and pleading not guilty back on September 16, 2024, Sean Combs' finally gets his day in court. Today the courtroom circus officially kicks off as "Diddy", aka Puff Daddy, aka Brother Love, faces the music in what's easily one of the biggest celebrity trials since Johnny Depp and Amber Heard turned a courthouse into a Netflix reality show.

Combs, sporting a grey-haired look more "distinguished older gentleman" than hip-hop mogul, is understandably a bit "nervous" as he awaits his fate. 

This isn't our typical "celebrity misbehavior" scenario. These charges carry heavy weight. We're talking sex trafficking, racketeering, bribery, and even arson. 

We're also talking a legit criminal enterprise, allegedly running from 2009 to 2024. 

Diddy’s billion-dollar empire, prosecutors claim, was allegedly more mob-like than mogul-like.

Ahead of the trial's kickoff, Combs confirmed he turned down a potential plea deal during a final pretrial hearing on May 2, setting himself up for a battle where a conviction could mean life in prison. 

Experts are saying to expect prosecutors to lead with their strongest punch, the infamous hotel surveillance video showing Combs allegedly assaulting his ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura. 

(Fun fact- to this day nobody has demanded an explanation of where CNN got this video footage, why they got it when they did, and who had been sitting on it for as long as they had. It's obviously disgusting footage, but the fact that somebody had held on to this, not gone to authorities with it, and effectively dropped this conveniently when they did, setting off the domino effect that has essentially destroyed Combs' smoke and mirrors facade reaks to high heavens. Or maybe that's just me being crazy? Either way, now the original video CNN magically came across is allegedly destroyed, leaving no trace. Shocker.)

Even potential jurors described this video as a "damning piece of evidence." Diddy’s defense team, headed by high-profile attorneys including Young Thug’s lawyer Brian Steel, Marc Agnifilo, Teny Geragos, Xavier Donaldson, and appellate expert Alexandra A.E. Shapiro, has already flagged this footage as "the most important" aspect of their case, making it clear they’ll be throwing everything they have at undermining it.

One of the biggest things I have been trying to read up on pertaining to this case is just what in the fuck Diddy's defense is going to be?

I understand how well great lawyers play the game. But even the greatest of the greats would have a difficult time representing a guy who has mountains of concrete evidence stacked against him. So how exactly do they plan to maneuver through all that? 

Well, according to what I've read, Combs' defense strategy centers on portraying his actions as part of a consensual “swinger” lifestyle rather than criminal conduct. His legal team argues that the sexual encounters, including the so-called “Freak Offs,” were consensual events involving adults who willingly participated in these gatherings.

They're really going to say he was part of a swinger community, where everybody just enjoyed free and open sex, drugs, and that he and Cassie were in a mutually-abusive relationship.

Suppsedly- legal experts claim Cassie could be one of, if not the very first witness called to testify today. So we could have fireworks right away.

The defense is expected to lean heavily on painting Cassie as "violent," trying to frame their relationship as mutually combative rather than coercive. Cassie, known for her small and demure stature, will likely be portrayed by the defense as a "strong, capable person" to counter allegations of her being coerced. 

Judge Arun Subramanian already indicated skepticism, reminding attorneys that "strong people can be coerced, just like weak people."

the jury shapes up tomorrow. The selection process itself was a spectacle, jurors openly joked about marijuana usage, shoplifting wands from Harry Potter World, (no really), and admitting to TMZ-fueled gossip sessions. 

As Shyne once famously rapped, "Quentin Tarrantino couldn't write this shit." 

Even with the jury and alternates expected to finally be locked in today, there’s still a fear of jurors getting cold feet over the weekend. And who could blame them? Eight weeks of nonstop scandal and scrutiny isn’t exactly everyone’s idea of a good time.

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Also intriguing are the celebrity names floating around. Michael B. Jordan's brief flirtation with Ventura allegedly prompted threats from Diddy back in 2015. (Though not sure if he blew up his car like he did to Kid Cudi)

Though Jordan won’t appear as a witness, his name has been repeatedly tossed around by jurors like they’re picking a celebrity trivia team. Kanye West, Kid Cudi, Mike Myers, and Destiny Child’s Michelle Williams also make cameo appearances in the narrative. Legal experts expect speculation to run wild about how deep these connections actually go.

Then there's the mysterious disappearance of "Victim-3," whose sudden absence from prosecutors’ plans might just provide Combs with a significant win out of the gate. 

Hand up- I doubted the shit out of Comey and her team in the Ghislaine Maxwell trial. When she was named to it, called next to no witnesses, and delivered a laughably short closing statement, I thought the fix was in. 

BUT, she landed guilty verdicts on all counts and now Maxwell is rotting away in club fed. 

So I will reserve judgement until we see how Comey does handling another big fish. 

She and her team from the Southern District of New York's Civil Rights Unit are expected to aim to demonstrate a decades-long pattern of criminal activities masterminded by Combs.

But back to the disappearance of a key-witness. Can you fucking believe this is real life?

It is believed that "victim-3" is Kalenna Harper, former member of Bad Boy r&b group Danity Kane.

Prosecutors' difficulty reaching this witness has already raised eyebrows, and you can bet defense lawyers are licking their chops over this one.

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Lastly, the judge himself, Arun Subramanian, promises to be a notable character. And not in a good way. 

He started things off last week, cracking jokes about all of Combs' nicknames.

He's also been cracking jokes about Harry Potter memorabilia theft but also took time to slap down Mark Geragos, the celebrity lawyer advising Combs, over some spicy podcast comments he made. Experts expect Subramanian to keep things interesting, balancing humor with no-nonsense control of his courtroom. We'll see. I get the feeling this guy is loving the opportunity to make a name for himself. 

Once the jury is set, opening statements fire off bright and early this morning. Everybody expects this trial to run for the next 8 weeks. If I can do half of a half as good a job covering the circus that this trial becomes, as Jerry does with the Karen Read trial(s), I will be happy.