Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs trial live updates: Cassie Ventura returns to the witness stand for day 2 of cross-examination

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs trial live updates: Cassie Ventura returns to the witness stand for day 2 of cross-examination
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs trial live updates: Cassie Ventura returns to the witness stand for day 2 of cross-examination

The trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs continues in Manhattan federal court, where Cassie Ventura, his former girlfriend and the prosecution’s star witness, just wrapped up four days of testimony in the high-profile sex trafficking case.

Federal prosecutors say that for decades, Combs abused, threatened and coerced women to participate in marathon sexual encounters called “freak offs” and used his business empire, along with guns, kidnapping and arson, to conceal his crimes. The 55-year-old hip-hop mogul is facing charges of sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy and transportation to engage in prostitution.

Testifying for more than 20 hours this week, Ventura — who is eight months pregnant — told the court her decade-long relationship with Combs was frequently marked by violence and physical abuse, describing in detail the drug-fueled “freak offs” that would take days to recover from. Jurors were also shown a 2016 surveillance video of Combs hitting, kicking and dragging Ventura in the hallway of a Los Angeles hotel.

The defense team presented hundreds of text messages between Ventura and Combs from throughout their relationship in an attempt to show that Ventura was a consensual participant in the “freak offs,” sometimes even planning them herself.

Combs has pleaded not guilty. If convicted, he could face life in prison. He is being held without bail in a Brooklyn jail. A jury of 12 New Yorkers and six alternates will decide his fate. The trial is expected to last at least eight weeks.

Follow the live blog below for the latest updates on the trial, culled from various reporters and news organizations in the courtroom, including the Associated Press, CNN, the New York Times and NBC News.

If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233). Find more resources here.

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