Federal prosecutors continued to call witnesses to the stand Tuesday morning in Sean “Diddy” Combs’ criminal trial. His ex-girlfriend, the R&B singer Cassie Ventura, began her testimony inside the New York City courthouse as the trial entered its second day.
Ventura is a critical witness in the prosecution’s case against Combs, who has been accused of sexually assaulting, trafficking and exploiting women for decades until his arrest on multiple charges last September. The music mogul could receive a lifetime prison sentence if convicted on all of them.
Ventura’s testimony will likely last the rest of the week. Here are some key takeaways from it so far.
Violence occurred “frequently”
In her initial statements before the court, Ventura, now pregnant with her third child and married to the personal trainer Alex Fine, recalled her and Combs’ early interactions and how she started to see a different side of him over time. She said she met Combs when she was a newly signed singer at 19 years old, but their burgeoning friendship became romantic two years later.
Jane Rosenberg / REUTERS
She also described his alleged violence throughout their 10-year on-off relationship, recounting instances where he knocked her over, kicked and dragged her, and stomped on her head, causing black eyes and bruises on her body. When asked, Ventura said the abuse she endured happened “frequently.”
“Control was everything”
Ventura characterized Combs as physically and psychologically abusive throughout the first hours of her testimony.
“Control was everything — from the way that I looked, to what I was working on that day, who I was speaking to,” she said. “Control was an all-around thing to a certain point.”
Combs allegedly introduced Ventura to “freak offs” — drug-fueled events where he is accused of forcing women to perform sex acts with hired sex workers, which were a focus of the indictment outlining his alleged crimes.
Ventura said Combs broached the idea of sexual encounters involving voyeurism during the first year of their relationship, and he would hire an escort or dancer with whom he would watch her engage while he directed them. The singer testified she felt confused and nervous, “but I also loved him very much and wanted to make him happy.”
This is a developing story. It will be updated with more information.
contributed to this report.
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