Cassie Ventura evaluations specific messages in Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs trial | Sean ‘Diddy‘ Combs

Singer Casandra “Cassie” Ventura, a former girlfriend of Sean “Diddy” Combs and a key witness within the federal sex-trafficking and racketeering trial of the music mogul, returned to the stand on Thursday for cross-examination.

One in every of Combs’s attorneys, Anna Estevao, opened her cross-examination of Ventura by asking: “You and Sean Combs have been in love for 11 years, proper?”

“Yeah,” Ventura stated.

Throughout the first few hours of cross-examination, Combs stared at Ventura as she answered questions. His sons and mom have been current within the courtroom, in addition to his publicist. Ventura’s husband was additionally current.

As Ventura entered the courtroom, she didn’t have a look at Combs and had not checked out him but as of Thursday’s lunch break. She has been wanting instantly ahead or to her display displaying the displays.

The protection group spent the primary half-hour of their cross-examination establishing the belief and love that was as soon as between Ventura and Combs.

“He was charismatic – large persona, bigger than life,” Ventura testified. “The start of the connection was actually quick, fast-paced, scary. However the extra time I spent with him, his actual persona got here out – candy, attentive.”

Then the protection requested concerning the “freak-offs”.

“So, to make him completely happy you advised him that you just needed to do ‘freak-offs’, proper?” Estevao requested.

“No, there’s much more to that,” Ventura stated.

The protection cited messages, through textual content and emails, between Combs and Ventura, to depict their relationship to the jury.

“To ensure that me to be extra open with the issues we do in mattress, I have to really feel secure, like residence … like that is my husband, and that is the one man that may ever have this aggressive sexual aspect of me,” Ventura wrote to Combs in an e mail proven in courtroom. “Once we used to freak off once we have been so in love there have been no questions requested, it felt proper. Prefer it actually made sense for the subsequent step in our intercourse life collectively.”

Ventura later advised the protection that the “freak-offs” have been “an integral half” of her relationship with Combs.

In one other message proven, Ventura advised Combs she “by no means felt so liked, secure, and empowered since we’ve come collectively” however that “then again, your [sic] consistently weary of me … ”

Ventura commented on that message that “it was normally, like, a one-way road when it got here to messages like this”.

Different messages between Combs and Ventura that have been shared have been way more graphic and detailed, depicting each former companions’ varied wishes.

Combs’s lawyer then pivoted to the lawsuit Ventura filed in 2023.

“When your lawsuit was publicized in November 2023, you understood that his profession was ruined at that time, proper?” Estevao requested.

“I may perceive that, yeah,” Ventura stated.

She additionally advised the courtroom that she took ecstasy, or MDMA, to “be excessive through the ‘freak-offs’” and stated that for factors of their relationship, she and Combs have been each hooked on opiates.

At instances through the cross-examination, Combs was seen nodding his head and whispering to his attorneys. He would typically flip round to take a look at who was within the courtroom.

Simply earlier than the lunch break ended, Choose Arun Subramanian reminded the protection they must conclude their cross-examination by tomorrow as Ventura is closely pregnant. Combs’s legal professional Marc Agnifilo stated that Ventura ought to have the ability to come again on Monday if obligatory, prompting Subramanian to say: “In what universe did you not perceive that is what was going to occur … You’re not telling me this was everybody’s understanding that this witness was going to be performed this week?”

Ventura was in a aspect room throughout that alternate. Upon her return from break, she was then requested once more about messages between her and Combs, particularly ones that counsel Ventura loved the freak-offs.

“I’d say that loving ‘FOs’ have been simply phrases at that time,” she testified.

In a single alternate referenced in courtroom, Combs stated he needed to have “an FO proper now”, and Ventura replied, “lol me too,” including: “Effectively I wish to have enjoyable with you.”

After extra forwards and backwards with the protection attorneys about freak-offs and the way they have been mentioned, Ventura was requested about her emotions on Combs’s different former companion, Kim Porter, who died in 2018.

“I had some jealousy of Ms Porter,” Ventura stated.

A 2013 message from Ventura to Combs was additionally proven to the courtroom, which depicted Ventura’s jealousy that Combs, Porter and his kids spent household journeys collectively.

From there, the protection parsed by means of the mutual jealousy Ventura felt about discovering out that Combs had different companions and the way Combs felt when Ventura was courting different folks, together with Child Cudi and actor Michael B Jordan.

“It appeared hypocritical to you that he would date different ladies,” Combs’s lawyer stated, noting that Ventura needed monogamy and acknowledging that Combs might be “much more jealous”.

“He had a nasty mood and he reacted poorly to data that he didn’t like,” the lawyer stated, which Ventura agreed to.

On how Ventura felt when Combs had suspicion that she was seeing another person, she testified: “It was somewhat scary.”

On Ventura’s second day of testimony on Wednesday, she supplied extra particulars concerning the bodily and psychological abuse she alleged she skilled from Combs throughout their on-and-off once more relationship that lasted about 11 years, and accused the music mogul of rape and blackmail.

At one level on the stand, Ventura broke down in tears as she testified that Combs raped her in 2018 at her residence after that they had damaged up.

The alleged rape was first talked about in 2023 when Ventura filed a civil lawsuit towards Combs. The lawsuit accused him of bodily and sexual abuse. Combs has denied the allegations.

The 2 reached a settlement in in the future. On Wednesday, Ventura revealed she acquired $20m from Combs and his firms within the settlement.

The lawsuit prompted the federal investigation that led to Combs’s arrest in September final 12 months.

Combs is dealing with expenses together with racketeering conspiracy, intercourse trafficking and transportation to interact in prostitution. He has pleaded not responsible and denies all allegations. If convicted, Combs, who has been jailed since his arrest final 12 months, may spend the remainder of his life in jail.

Within the closing hour of testimony on Wednesday, prosecutors requested Ventura why she determined to testify towards Combs.

“I can’t carry this any extra,” Ventura stated. “I can’t carry the disgrace, the guilt, the best way I used to be guided to deal with folks like they have been disposable. What’s proper is correct, what’s mistaken is mistaken. I’m right here to do the suitable factor.”

The protection’s cross-examination of Ventura is anticipated to stretch into Friday.