Throughout two days on the Witnesses stand, Cassandra Ventura, a longtime pal of Sean Combs, gave hours to proof of a relationship full of painful bodily abuse and thorough management, and decided by the expectation that she would fulfill his sexual fantasies.
D -Ja Ventura, the star witness of the federal government, will now face questions from G -N -Combs’ attorneys. Some could even come straight from G -N -Combs, who conveyed notes to his or her authorized group all through the manufacturing.
The protection acknowledged accountability for home violence – together with towards Da Enterprise – however categorically denied that his habits imposes accusations towards him in sexual site visitors and a racketeering for conspiracy.
The lawyer, who anticipated to query Da Ventura, was Anna Estevao, who isn’t a number one vote for the group throughout the courtroom proceedings to this point. She is confronted with the fragile activity of difficult the testimony of a visibly pregnant lady who testifies that years of bodily abuse and sexual coercion from G -N -Combs have led her to such an emotional struggling that she thought-about suicide.
Listed here are some issues we will count on from cross -interrogation.
The protection will attempt to emphasize moments of an company.
Mr. Combs has been accused of Mrs. Ventura’s intercourse trafficking. With a view to show this, the federal government should persuade the jurors that Mr. Combs is forcing or forcing in sexual events with male prostitutes often known as “freaks”.
Da Enterprise testifies that in his relationship with Mr. Combs, he repeatedly adopted his directions and felt powerless to do one thing else. However the protection will most likely attempt to emphasize occasions when it might have proven an company.
Tenni Geragos, one of many attorneys of G -N -Combs, visualizes this technique throughout the opening assertion of protection when she described girls within the heart of the federal government’s case as “succesful” and “robust”.
“For Cassie, she makes a alternative every single day for years. The selection to stick with him – the selection to struggle for him,” she mentioned. “As a result of for 11 years it was a more sensible choice. It was her most well-liked alternative.”
Jealousy might be in entrance and heart.
The federal government tried to emphasise the moments when Mr. Combs was violent within the context of freak-most of all throughout his assault as Mrs. Ventura at a Los Angeles Lodge in 2016.
However the protection claims that Mr. Combs’ violence is normally fueled by romantic jealousy or drug use somewhat than freaks. In felony legislation, Da Geragos mentioned in his opening assertion, which equals an assault on an assault somewhat than sexual site visitors.
“As you take a look at the proof and as you consider Cassie and Combs,” she mentioned, “you will note that their battles, their infidelity, their jealousy, they normally surrounded his infidelity, or surrounded hers.”
The protection will ask for the freaks of freaks.
Mrs. Ventura testifies that Mr. Combs has turned a video of the freaks into “blackmail supplies,” rescuing the footage, regardless of her requests that he deleted him and threatened to launch movies when he was offended along with her. This accusation is on the coronary heart of the federal government’s case that these sexual conferences are compelled.
The protection is attempting to bear this declare by emphasizing the jurors that the movies of freaks, that are proof within the case, didn’t come from Mr. Combs. They got here from that of Da -Ventura.
When the federal government attacked the properties of G -N -Combs final yr, mentioned G -Ja Geragos of their introductory assertion, they seized “numerous” digital gadgets. However she mentioned, “The one degenerate movies you will note or hear at this expertise got here from her gadgets, which she saved for 5 years.” (D -Jan Enterprise signifies that gadgets have lengthy been damaged.)
Throughout cross -questioning, jurors may even see movies of those movies. Because the frames are sexually specific and embrace girls who’ve raised allegations of sexual abuse, the proof might be sealed, which signifies that they won’t be proven all through the courtroom.
