Jury deliberations resumed Tuesday in the sex trafficking trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs.
The 12-member panel met for more than five hours on Monday without reaching a verdict. Just an hour into deliberations, the jury sent a note to Judge Arun Subramanian saying it was concerned that one juror could not follow his instructions, prompting Subramanian to send a note back to jurors of their duty to deliberate.
Later in the afternoon, the jury sent another note asking the judge to clarify what constitutes the distribution of controlled substances. Subramanian told the jury on Tuesday morning to refer to the definition included in the instructions.
Federal prosecutors say that for decades, Combs abused, threatened and coerced women to participate in drug-fueled marathon sexual encounters called “freak offs” and used his business empire, along with guns, kidnapping and arson, to control his victims.
The 55-year-old hip-hop mogul is facing five criminal counts: one count of racketeering conspiracy; two counts of sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion; and two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution. Combs has pleaded not guilty. If convicted, he could face life in prison.
The prosecution rested its case after presenting over a month of graphic testimony from nearly three dozen witnesses. The defense rested without calling anyone — including Combs — to the witness stand.
“The defendant used power, violence and fear to get what he wanted,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Christy Slavik said during last week’s closing arguments. “It’s time to hold him accountable. It’s time for justice. And it’s time to find him guilty.”
Marc Agnifilo, Combs’s lead defense attorney, argued that Combs is a “swinger” and a drug abuser guilty of past domestic violence, but not the “leader of a criminal enterprise” as prosecutors have portrayed him.
“He did not do the things he’s charged with,” Agnifilo told jurors. “He did what he did. But he’s going to fight to the death to defend himself from what he didn’t do.”
Follow the live blog below for the latest updates culled from various reporters and news organizations in the courtroom, including ABC News, CNN, and the USA Today.
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