Chloe Melas

He is a bit of a conundrum. During his testimony, he talked about having participated in these freak-offs and that he developed a friendship with Cassie, or so he thought. On cross-examination, one of Combs' attorneys, Xavier Donaldson, really picked apart his testimony and said, look, some of the things that you're saying are not what you told investigators in the lead-up to this trial.

He is a bit of a conundrum. During his testimony, he talked about having participated in these freak-offs and that he developed a friendship with Cassie, or so he thought. On cross-examination, one of Combs' attorneys, Xavier Donaldson, really picked apart his testimony and said, look, some of the things that you're saying are not what you told investigators in the lead-up to this trial.

On one hand, he says, I was so afraid for my life. I did not know what Sean Combs was capable of, which is why I didn't go to the police, which is why I didn't physically intervene. But then there's a text exchange between himself and Cassie Ventura after this incident where he claims he saw Combs be violent with Cassie where he says, I just love y'all. That's paraphrasing the text message.

On one hand, he says, I was so afraid for my life. I did not know what Sean Combs was capable of, which is why I didn't go to the police, which is why I didn't physically intervene. But then there's a text exchange between himself and Cassie Ventura after this incident where he claims he saw Combs be violent with Cassie where he says, I just love y'all. That's paraphrasing the text message.

And when Xavier Donaldson on cross-examination said, well, if you were so scared for your life or you were so disgusted by what you had seen, why did you write that? And he actually says, oh, well, I didn't mean what I texted.

And when Xavier Donaldson on cross-examination said, well, if you were so scared for your life or you were so disgusted by what you had seen, why did you write that? And he actually says, oh, well, I didn't mean what I texted.

I just did that to bait Cassie because they wanted her to ask me to participate in another freak-off so that I could go see her in person and make sure that she was emotionally and physically okay because I was worried about her. But is that something that the jury's really going to buy?

I just did that to bait Cassie because they wanted her to ask me to participate in another freak-off so that I could go see her in person and make sure that she was emotionally and physically okay because I was worried about her. But is that something that the jury's really going to buy?

You know, at one point, prosecutors introduced a photo as evidence just to establish the fact that Cassie was dating Combs, and it was early on in their relationship. And in the photo, it's Cassie, Sean Combs, someone else, and Kim Porter. Reportedly, the love of Combs' life died of pneumonia several years ago, and her children were in that courtroom.

You know, at one point, prosecutors introduced a photo as evidence just to establish the fact that Cassie was dating Combs, and it was early on in their relationship. And in the photo, it's Cassie, Sean Combs, someone else, and Kim Porter. Reportedly, the love of Combs' life died of pneumonia several years ago, and her children were in that courtroom.

And I looked over at them, and I thought that I was going to see tears, but they remained strong and very stoic.

And I looked over at them, and I thought that I was going to see tears, but they remained strong and very stoic.

Yeah, I was actually surprised to see her in the courtroom. About a year ago, that's when she wrote, my heart goes out to her meeting Cassie, saying I know how she feels, also saying that Sean needs help. But she is sitting right there on Combs' side of the courtroom.

Yeah, I was actually surprised to see her in the courtroom. About a year ago, that's when she wrote, my heart goes out to her meeting Cassie, saying I know how she feels, also saying that Sean needs help. But she is sitting right there on Combs' side of the courtroom.

He turned around and he watched her walk down the aisle of the courtroom and go up to the witness stand. And he really stared at her during her entire testimony. His face, expressionless. I saw him looking over into the jury box multiple times.

He turned around and he watched her walk down the aisle of the courtroom and go up to the witness stand. And he really stared at her during her entire testimony. His face, expressionless. I saw him looking over into the jury box multiple times.

When there was one of the breaks, everybody left the courtroom, and then when we all came back in, as Combs walked back in, he looked over at his family sitting behind him, and he opened his eyes really wide, and you could see him let out this big exhale.

When there was one of the breaks, everybody left the courtroom, and then when we all came back in, as Combs walked back in, he looked over at his family sitting behind him, and he opened his eyes really wide, and you could see him let out this big exhale.

You can tell he's stressed, and this is very different than the Sean Combs that we've seen at all the pretrial hearings where he's smiling, and he's even yesterday blowing a kiss to his family. He looks stressed. Maybe that's because this is the first time that he's seen Cassie since they broke up several years ago. And also, I mean, because let's be honest, he faces up to life in prison.

You can tell he's stressed, and this is very different than the Sean Combs that we've seen at all the pretrial hearings where he's smiling, and he's even yesterday blowing a kiss to his family. He looks stressed. Maybe that's because this is the first time that he's seen Cassie since they broke up several years ago. And also, I mean, because let's be honest, he faces up to life in prison.

Oh, absolutely. There will be other witnesses. There are other alleged victims. But Cassie is the star witness.

Oh, absolutely. There will be other witnesses. There are other alleged victims. But Cassie is the star witness.

So Cassie is an artist, right, who had... a couple of hits very early on in her career. And she described being introduced to Combs because she was hoping to sign with Bad Boy Records. And she ultimately did land this 10-album deal with his company. And she said she knew him as this serial entrepreneur. He was a kingmaker.

So Cassie is an artist, right, who had... a couple of hits very early on in her career. And she described being introduced to Combs because she was hoping to sign with Bad Boy Records. And she ultimately did land this 10-album deal with his company. And she said she knew him as this serial entrepreneur. He was a kingmaker.

and you know she was just excited to be in his presence and in the beginning of their relationship he was really looking out for her she had a couple of bad performances and she said that he always had her back but then she says that it was her 21st birthday and she celebrated it in las vegas and that is the night that combs kissed her for the first time and she actually said in her testimony today that she

and you know she was just excited to be in his presence and in the beginning of their relationship he was really looking out for her she had a couple of bad performances and she said that he always had her back but then she says that it was her 21st birthday and she celebrated it in las vegas and that is the night that combs kissed her for the first time and she actually said in her testimony today that she

ran out crying because she was so taken aback by the fact that he was showing interest in her. He's essentially her boss. And she was really confused. And she described herself as just being just really naive when it came to relationships. But then she said shortly thereafter, their situation became romantic and that she started to fall in love with him. And that's when they became intimate.

ran out crying because she was so taken aback by the fact that he was showing interest in her. He's essentially her boss. And she was really confused. And she described herself as just being just really naive when it came to relationships. But then she said shortly thereafter, their situation became romantic and that she started to fall in love with him. And that's when they became intimate.

And then they ended up staying together on and off for 11 years.

And then they ended up staying together on and off for 11 years.

And what's also really interesting is that she said she thought that they were in this monogamous relationship, but it turned out that Combs had, quote, many girlfriends in his life, right? And she said on the stand today that she was jealous. And so that is something that we heard in Combs' defense's opening statement yesterday, that this, all of this rage was fueled by jealousy on both sides.

And what's also really interesting is that she said she thought that they were in this monogamous relationship, but it turned out that Combs had, quote, many girlfriends in his life, right? And she said on the stand today that she was jealous. And so that is something that we heard in Combs' defense's opening statement yesterday, that this, all of this rage was fueled by jealousy on both sides.

Cassie said that early on in the relationship, he introduced the idea of having threesomes. And ultimately, they had a threesome with an escort. And she said that she didn't want to do it, but that she didn't really vocalize it because she wanted to make Sean happy. And she said that once they did it, it just kept going. And that at one point, these freak-offs were happening weekly.

Cassie said that early on in the relationship, he introduced the idea of having threesomes. And ultimately, they had a threesome with an escort. And she said that she didn't want to do it, but that she didn't really vocalize it because she wanted to make Sean happy. And she said that once they did it, it just kept going. And that at one point, these freak-offs were happening weekly.

And some of these freak-offs would last days. At a certain point, she said Sean was essentially controlling most of her life. I mean, she said that, look, I mean, he was the head of Bad Boy. He controlled her career. He told her what to wear, allegedly. She said that she was the one that was instructed by Combs to go and hire these escorts. Sometimes she would book the hotels.

And some of these freak-offs would last days. At a certain point, she said Sean was essentially controlling most of her life. I mean, she said that, look, I mean, he was the head of Bad Boy. He controlled her career. He told her what to wear, allegedly. She said that she was the one that was instructed by Combs to go and hire these escorts. Sometimes she would book the hotels.

She would pay the escorts. And that she would even bring candles and baby oil and help really arrange the hotel room before these freak-offs happened. Cassie got emotional at times, Chloe? Yeah, so pretty early on in her testimony, you saw her holding a Kleenex, and she was wiping her nose and kind of wiping her eyes.

She would pay the escorts. And that she would even bring candles and baby oil and help really arrange the hotel room before these freak-offs happened. Cassie got emotional at times, Chloe? Yeah, so pretty early on in her testimony, you saw her holding a Kleenex, and she was wiping her nose and kind of wiping her eyes.

And then when she started talking about how she really felt forced into these freak-offs and that she really was in love with Combs and really just wanted to make him happy, that's when she broke down crying. So it was a very emotional day.

And then when she started talking about how she really felt forced into these freak-offs and that she really was in love with Combs and really just wanted to make him happy, that's when she broke down crying. So it was a very emotional day.

She's eight months pregnant and walks into this courtroom wearing this fitted brown dress, this long brown overcoat. Her husband was sitting right in front of me and you could hear a pin drop. This has been the most anticipated testimony for

She's eight months pregnant and walks into this courtroom wearing this fitted brown dress, this long brown overcoat. Her husband was sitting right in front of me and you could hear a pin drop. This has been the most anticipated testimony for

So early. But I was not the earliest because there actually are a lot of people that have been camping out since yesterday. So tell us everything about how this all started this morning. So they finally settled on 12 jurors, six alternates, and that 12-person jury is made up of eight men and four women. I think that's really interesting to point out here that it's a male-dominated jury.

So early. But I was not the earliest because there actually are a lot of people that have been camping out since yesterday. So tell us everything about how this all started this morning. So they finally settled on 12 jurors, six alternates, and that 12-person jury is made up of eight men and four women. I think that's really interesting to point out here that it's a male-dominated jury.

Even the alternates... There's more men than women. We know some of the professions. There's a physician's assistant. There's someone who works at a deli, a massage therapist, even a scientist. So there's a really wide-ranging group of people. And these individuals, they hail from the Southern District of New York. So they come from all of the areas in and around New York City.

Even the alternates... There's more men than women. We know some of the professions. There's a physician's assistant. There's someone who works at a deli, a massage therapist, even a scientist. So there's a really wide-ranging group of people. And these individuals, they hail from the Southern District of New York. So they come from all of the areas in and around New York City.

So much of their case centers around their star witness, which is Combs' former girlfriend, Cassie Ventura. They say that he ran this criminal enterprise that he used employees to carry out.

So much of their case centers around their star witness, which is Combs' former girlfriend, Cassie Ventura. They say that he ran this criminal enterprise that he used employees to carry out.

illegal activity, they helped him organize these drug-fueled sex parties, that he forced women in his life, these alleged victims, to partake in these parties, have sex with male escorts, force them to take drugs.

illegal activity, they helped him organize these drug-fueled sex parties, that he forced women in his life, these alleged victims, to partake in these parties, have sex with male escorts, force them to take drugs.

Some of them. So it turns out that Combs did film some of these encounters. But what's really interesting is that during the defense openings that were done by Tenny Garagos, she said, you're going to learn that these videos were not found at his home.

Some of them. So it turns out that Combs did film some of these encounters. But what's really interesting is that during the defense openings that were done by Tenny Garagos, she said, you're going to learn that these videos were not found at his home.

during the raids, these were actually videos provided by Cassie to the prosecutors, that you think he had the power, but she actually had the power.

during the raids, these were actually videos provided by Cassie to the prosecutors, that you think he had the power, but she actually had the power.

Well, this is not your average trial because he has so many attorneys. I think I counted six or maybe seven at this point. We know that he's recently added Brian Steele. He recently represented Young Thug in his Rico case. You have Mark Agnifilo that also represents Luigi Mangione. As for Combs, he had on what looked like khaki pants, a sweater. He's hot.

Well, this is not your average trial because he has so many attorneys. I think I counted six or maybe seven at this point. We know that he's recently added Brian Steele. He recently represented Young Thug in his Rico case. You have Mark Agnifilo that also represents Luigi Mangione. As for Combs, he had on what looked like khaki pants, a sweater. He's hot.

He had, again, his gray hair, a gray goatee, but he was smiling. He blew a kiss to his family behind him. His children were there, his mother. He hugged all of his attorneys.

He had, again, his gray hair, a gray goatee, but he was smiling. He blew a kiss to his family behind him. His children were there, his mother. He hugged all of his attorneys.

His team recently put in a motion to actually get sweaters. So you're not going to see him in suits. He's going to be in sweaters and khaki pants, shoes without laces. And I was told that this is something that dates as far back as Menendez. The Menendez brothers, when they wore sweaters, is to make them look more approachable to the jury.

His team recently put in a motion to actually get sweaters. So you're not going to see him in suits. He's going to be in sweaters and khaki pants, shoes without laces. And I was told that this is something that dates as far back as Menendez. The Menendez brothers, when they wore sweaters, is to make them look more approachable to the jury.

So the first person was a security guard. This was someone that was actually working at the hotel when Cassie was brutally beaten in that hallway in 2016. He testified that on that night, he got a call about a woman in distress on the sixth floor of the hotel. So he went up to go see what was going on. And when he got there, that's when he recognized, oh, Cassie.

So the first person was a security guard. This was someone that was actually working at the hotel when Cassie was brutally beaten in that hallway in 2016. He testified that on that night, he got a call about a woman in distress on the sixth floor of the hotel. So he went up to go see what was going on. And when he got there, that's when he recognized, oh, Cassie.

This is Sean Diddy Combs, and he was there in a towel and socks, and he actually said that Combs had a, quote, devilish stare. He then said that he asked Combs what was going on, and Combs said, look, we were arguing, we were just having a dispute. But then he testified that he heard Combs tell Cassie, you are not going to leave. OK, so how did the defense cross-examine the security guard?

This is Sean Diddy Combs, and he was there in a towel and socks, and he actually said that Combs had a, quote, devilish stare. He then said that he asked Combs what was going on, and Combs said, look, we were arguing, we were just having a dispute. But then he testified that he heard Combs tell Cassie, you are not going to leave. OK, so how did the defense cross-examine the security guard?

So Brian Steele handled the cross-examination. You have Brian Steele saying what you wrote in your incident report to your employer is not what you're describing to me now on the stand. So he pointed out that in his report, he did not write that Combs told Cassie, you're not leaving. He never said that Combs had a devilish stare on his face. And he also asked, why did you not call 911?

So Brian Steele handled the cross-examination. You have Brian Steele saying what you wrote in your incident report to your employer is not what you're describing to me now on the stand. So he pointed out that in his report, he did not write that Combs told Cassie, you're not leaving. He never said that Combs had a devilish stare on his face. And he also asked, why did you not call 911?

Why did you not get authorities involved?

Why did you not get authorities involved?

This individual calls himself a stripper, but prosecutors had called him an escort. He does say that he had been paid by Ventura, actually, to take part in sex acts where he would have sex with Cassie while Combs watched. And he also testified that on two occasions, he actually remembers Combs physically assaulting Cassie.

This individual calls himself a stripper, but prosecutors had called him an escort. He does say that he had been paid by Ventura, actually, to take part in sex acts where he would have sex with Cassie while Combs watched. And he also testified that on two occasions, he actually remembers Combs physically assaulting Cassie.

He said in one instance he saw Combs grab Cassie by the hair while she was sitting in front of her computer, pulled her off of a chair and dragged her into the bedroom and that he could hear slapping sounds coming from the other room. And he was asked by prosecutors, why did you not call the police? Why did you not intervene? And he said more than once that he was scared for his own life.

He said in one instance he saw Combs grab Cassie by the hair while she was sitting in front of her computer, pulled her off of a chair and dragged her into the bedroom and that he could hear slapping sounds coming from the other room. And he was asked by prosecutors, why did you not call the police? Why did you not intervene? And he said more than once that he was scared for his own life.

Yes. So Cassie is the main witness for the government. She's victim one. She's heavily pregnant. She's in her third trimester. She's pregnant with her third child. But she's going to take the stand, and it's going to take multiple days for her testimony. According to opening statements, this will actually be the first time that Cassie has been in the same room as Combs since they broke up. Wow.

Yes. So Cassie is the main witness for the government. She's victim one. She's heavily pregnant. She's in her third trimester. She's pregnant with her third child. But she's going to take the stand, and it's going to take multiple days for her testimony. According to opening statements, this will actually be the first time that Cassie has been in the same room as Combs since they broke up. Wow.

He is a bit of a conundrum. During his testimony, he talked about having participated in these freak-offs and that he developed a friendship with Cassie, or so he thought. On cross-examination, one of Combs' attorneys, Xavier Donaldson, really picked apart his testimony and said, look, some of the things that you're saying are not what you told investigators in the lead-up to this trial.

He is a bit of a conundrum. During his testimony, he talked about having participated in these freak-offs and that he developed a friendship with Cassie, or so he thought. On cross-examination, one of Combs' attorneys, Xavier Donaldson, really picked apart his testimony and said, look, some of the things that you're saying are not what you told investigators in the lead-up to this trial.

On one hand, he says, I was so afraid for my life. I did not know what Sean Combs was capable of, which is why I didn't go to the police, which is why I didn't physically intervene. But then there's a text exchange between himself and Cassie Ventura after this incident where he claims he saw Combs be violent with Cassie where he says, I just love y'all. That's paraphrasing the text message.

On one hand, he says, I was so afraid for my life. I did not know what Sean Combs was capable of, which is why I didn't go to the police, which is why I didn't physically intervene. But then there's a text exchange between himself and Cassie Ventura after this incident where he claims he saw Combs be violent with Cassie where he says, I just love y'all. That's paraphrasing the text message.

And when Xavier Donaldson on cross-examination said, well, if you were so scared for your life or you were so disgusted by what you had seen, why did you write that? And he actually says, oh, well, I didn't mean what I texted.

And when Xavier Donaldson on cross-examination said, well, if you were so scared for your life or you were so disgusted by what you had seen, why did you write that? And he actually says, oh, well, I didn't mean what I texted.

I just did that to bait Cassie because they wanted her to ask me to participate in another freak-off so that I could go see her in person and make sure that she was emotionally and physically okay because I was worried about her. But is that something that the jury's really going to buy?

I just did that to bait Cassie because they wanted her to ask me to participate in another freak-off so that I could go see her in person and make sure that she was emotionally and physically okay because I was worried about her. But is that something that the jury's really going to buy?

You know, at one point, prosecutors introduced a photo as evidence just to establish the fact that Cassie was dating Combs, and it was early on in their relationship. And in the photo, it's Cassie, Sean Combs, someone else, and Kim Porter. Reportedly, the love of Combs' life died of pneumonia several years ago, and her children were in that courtroom.

You know, at one point, prosecutors introduced a photo as evidence just to establish the fact that Cassie was dating Combs, and it was early on in their relationship. And in the photo, it's Cassie, Sean Combs, someone else, and Kim Porter. Reportedly, the love of Combs' life died of pneumonia several years ago, and her children were in that courtroom.

And I looked over at them, and I thought that I was going to see tears, but they remained strong and very stoic.

And I looked over at them, and I thought that I was going to see tears, but they remained strong and very stoic.

Yeah, I was actually surprised to see her in the courtroom. About a year ago, that's when she wrote, my heart goes out to her meeting Cassie, saying I know how she feels, also saying that Sean needs help. But she is sitting right there on Combs' side of the courtroom.

Yeah, I was actually surprised to see her in the courtroom. About a year ago, that's when she wrote, my heart goes out to her meeting Cassie, saying I know how she feels, also saying that Sean needs help. But she is sitting right there on Combs' side of the courtroom.

He turned around and he watched her walk down the aisle of the courtroom and go up to the witness stand. And he really stared at her during her entire testimony. His face, expressionless. I saw him looking over into the jury box multiple times.

He turned around and he watched her walk down the aisle of the courtroom and go up to the witness stand. And he really stared at her during her entire testimony. His face, expressionless. I saw him looking over into the jury box multiple times.

When there was one of the breaks, everybody left the courtroom, and then when we all came back in, as Combs walked back in, he looked over at his family sitting behind him, and he opened his eyes really wide, and you could see him let out this big exhale.

When there was one of the breaks, everybody left the courtroom, and then when we all came back in, as Combs walked back in, he looked over at his family sitting behind him, and he opened his eyes really wide, and you could see him let out this big exhale.

You can tell he's stressed, and this is very different than the Sean Combs that we've seen at all the pretrial hearings where he's smiling, and he's even yesterday blowing a kiss to his family. He looks stressed. Maybe that's because this is the first time that he's seen Cassie since they broke up several years ago. And also, I mean, because let's be honest, he faces up to life in prison.

You can tell he's stressed, and this is very different than the Sean Combs that we've seen at all the pretrial hearings where he's smiling, and he's even yesterday blowing a kiss to his family. He looks stressed. Maybe that's because this is the first time that he's seen Cassie since they broke up several years ago. And also, I mean, because let's be honest, he faces up to life in prison.

Oh, absolutely. There will be other witnesses. There are other alleged victims. But Cassie is the star witness.

Oh, absolutely. There will be other witnesses. There are other alleged victims. But Cassie is the star witness.

So Cassie is an artist, right, who had... a couple of hits very early on in her career. And she described being introduced to Combs because she was hoping to sign with Bad Boy Records. And she ultimately did land this 10-album deal with his company. And she said she knew him as this serial entrepreneur. He was a kingmaker.

So Cassie is an artist, right, who had... a couple of hits very early on in her career. And she described being introduced to Combs because she was hoping to sign with Bad Boy Records. And she ultimately did land this 10-album deal with his company. And she said she knew him as this serial entrepreneur. He was a kingmaker.

and you know she was just excited to be in his presence and in the beginning of their relationship he was really looking out for her she had a couple of bad performances and she said that he always had her back but then she says that it was her 21st birthday and she celebrated it in las vegas and that is the night that combs kissed her for the first time and she actually said in her testimony today that she

and you know she was just excited to be in his presence and in the beginning of their relationship he was really looking out for her she had a couple of bad performances and she said that he always had her back but then she says that it was her 21st birthday and she celebrated it in las vegas and that is the night that combs kissed her for the first time and she actually said in her testimony today that she

ran out crying because she was so taken aback by the fact that he was showing interest in her. He's essentially her boss. And she was really confused. And she described herself as just being just really naive when it came to relationships. But then she said shortly thereafter, their situation became romantic and that she started to fall in love with him. And that's when they became intimate.

ran out crying because she was so taken aback by the fact that he was showing interest in her. He's essentially her boss. And she was really confused. And she described herself as just being just really naive when it came to relationships. But then she said shortly thereafter, their situation became romantic and that she started to fall in love with him. And that's when they became intimate.

And then they ended up staying together on and off for 11 years.

And then they ended up staying together on and off for 11 years.

And what's also really interesting is that she said she thought that they were in this monogamous relationship, but it turned out that Combs had, quote, many girlfriends in his life, right? And she said on the stand today that she was jealous. And so that is something that we heard in Combs' defense's opening statement yesterday, that this, all of this rage was fueled by jealousy on both sides.

And what's also really interesting is that she said she thought that they were in this monogamous relationship, but it turned out that Combs had, quote, many girlfriends in his life, right? And she said on the stand today that she was jealous. And so that is something that we heard in Combs' defense's opening statement yesterday, that this, all of this rage was fueled by jealousy on both sides.

Cassie said that early on in the relationship, he introduced the idea of having threesomes. And ultimately, they had a threesome with an escort. And she said that she didn't want to do it, but that she didn't really vocalize it because she wanted to make Sean happy. And she said that once they did it, it just kept going. And that at one point, these freak-offs were happening weekly.

Cassie said that early on in the relationship, he introduced the idea of having threesomes. And ultimately, they had a threesome with an escort. And she said that she didn't want to do it, but that she didn't really vocalize it because she wanted to make Sean happy. And she said that once they did it, it just kept going. And that at one point, these freak-offs were happening weekly.

And some of these freak-offs would last days. At a certain point, she said Sean was essentially controlling most of her life. I mean, she said that, look, I mean, he was the head of Bad Boy. He controlled her career. He told her what to wear, allegedly. She said that she was the one that was instructed by Combs to go and hire these escorts. Sometimes she would book the hotels.

And some of these freak-offs would last days. At a certain point, she said Sean was essentially controlling most of her life. I mean, she said that, look, I mean, he was the head of Bad Boy. He controlled her career. He told her what to wear, allegedly. She said that she was the one that was instructed by Combs to go and hire these escorts. Sometimes she would book the hotels.

She would pay the escorts. And that she would even bring candles and baby oil and help really arrange the hotel room before these freak-offs happened. Cassie got emotional at times, Chloe? Yeah, so pretty early on in her testimony, you saw her holding a Kleenex, and she was wiping her nose and kind of wiping her eyes.

She would pay the escorts. And that she would even bring candles and baby oil and help really arrange the hotel room before these freak-offs happened. Cassie got emotional at times, Chloe? Yeah, so pretty early on in her testimony, you saw her holding a Kleenex, and she was wiping her nose and kind of wiping her eyes.

And then when she started talking about how she really felt forced into these freak-offs and that she really was in love with Combs and really just wanted to make him happy, that's when she broke down crying. So it was a very emotional day.

And then when she started talking about how she really felt forced into these freak-offs and that she really was in love with Combs and really just wanted to make him happy, that's when she broke down crying. So it was a very emotional day.

She's eight months pregnant and walks into this courtroom wearing this fitted brown dress, this long brown overcoat. Her husband was sitting right in front of me and you could hear a pin drop. This has been the most anticipated testimony for

She's eight months pregnant and walks into this courtroom wearing this fitted brown dress, this long brown overcoat. Her husband was sitting right in front of me and you could hear a pin drop. This has been the most anticipated testimony for

So early. But I was not the earliest because there actually are a lot of people that have been camping out since yesterday. So tell us everything about how this all started this morning. So they finally settled on 12 jurors, six alternates, and that 12-person jury is made up of eight men and four women. I think that's really interesting to point out here that it's a male-dominated jury.

So early. But I was not the earliest because there actually are a lot of people that have been camping out since yesterday. So tell us everything about how this all started this morning. So they finally settled on 12 jurors, six alternates, and that 12-person jury is made up of eight men and four women. I think that's really interesting to point out here that it's a male-dominated jury.

Even the alternates... There's more men than women. We know some of the professions. There's a physician's assistant. There's someone who works at a deli, a massage therapist, even a scientist. So there's a really wide-ranging group of people. And these individuals, they hail from the Southern District of New York. So they come from all of the areas in and around New York City.

Even the alternates... There's more men than women. We know some of the professions. There's a physician's assistant. There's someone who works at a deli, a massage therapist, even a scientist. So there's a really wide-ranging group of people. And these individuals, they hail from the Southern District of New York. So they come from all of the areas in and around New York City.

So much of their case centers around their star witness, which is Combs' former girlfriend, Cassie Ventura. They say that he ran this criminal enterprise that he used employees to carry out.

So much of their case centers around their star witness, which is Combs' former girlfriend, Cassie Ventura. They say that he ran this criminal enterprise that he used employees to carry out.

illegal activity, they helped him organize these drug-fueled sex parties, that he forced women in his life, these alleged victims, to partake in these parties, have sex with male escorts, force them to take drugs.

illegal activity, they helped him organize these drug-fueled sex parties, that he forced women in his life, these alleged victims, to partake in these parties, have sex with male escorts, force them to take drugs.

Some of them. So it turns out that Combs did film some of these encounters. But what's really interesting is that during the defense openings that were done by Tenny Garagos, she said, you're going to learn that these videos were not found at his home.

Some of them. So it turns out that Combs did film some of these encounters. But what's really interesting is that during the defense openings that were done by Tenny Garagos, she said, you're going to learn that these videos were not found at his home.

during the raids, these were actually videos provided by Cassie to the prosecutors, that you think he had the power, but she actually had the power.

during the raids, these were actually videos provided by Cassie to the prosecutors, that you think he had the power, but she actually had the power.

Well, this is not your average trial because he has so many attorneys. I think I counted six or maybe seven at this point. We know that he's recently added Brian Steele. He recently represented Young Thug in his Rico case. You have Mark Agnifilo that also represents Luigi Mangione. As for Combs, he had on what looked like khaki pants, a sweater. He's hot.

Well, this is not your average trial because he has so many attorneys. I think I counted six or maybe seven at this point. We know that he's recently added Brian Steele. He recently represented Young Thug in his Rico case. You have Mark Agnifilo that also represents Luigi Mangione. As for Combs, he had on what looked like khaki pants, a sweater. He's hot.

He had, again, his gray hair, a gray goatee, but he was smiling. He blew a kiss to his family behind him. His children were there, his mother. He hugged all of his attorneys.

He had, again, his gray hair, a gray goatee, but he was smiling. He blew a kiss to his family behind him. His children were there, his mother. He hugged all of his attorneys.

His team recently put in a motion to actually get sweaters. So you're not going to see him in suits. He's going to be in sweaters and khaki pants, shoes without laces. And I was told that this is something that dates as far back as Menendez. The Menendez brothers, when they wore sweaters, is to make them look more approachable to the jury.

His team recently put in a motion to actually get sweaters. So you're not going to see him in suits. He's going to be in sweaters and khaki pants, shoes without laces. And I was told that this is something that dates as far back as Menendez. The Menendez brothers, when they wore sweaters, is to make them look more approachable to the jury.

So the first person was a security guard. This was someone that was actually working at the hotel when Cassie was brutally beaten in that hallway in 2016. He testified that on that night, he got a call about a woman in distress on the sixth floor of the hotel. So he went up to go see what was going on. And when he got there, that's when he recognized, oh, Cassie.

So the first person was a security guard. This was someone that was actually working at the hotel when Cassie was brutally beaten in that hallway in 2016. He testified that on that night, he got a call about a woman in distress on the sixth floor of the hotel. So he went up to go see what was going on. And when he got there, that's when he recognized, oh, Cassie.

This is Sean Diddy Combs, and he was there in a towel and socks, and he actually said that Combs had a, quote, devilish stare. He then said that he asked Combs what was going on, and Combs said, look, we were arguing, we were just having a dispute. But then he testified that he heard Combs tell Cassie, you are not going to leave. OK, so how did the defense cross-examine the security guard?

This is Sean Diddy Combs, and he was there in a towel and socks, and he actually said that Combs had a, quote, devilish stare. He then said that he asked Combs what was going on, and Combs said, look, we were arguing, we were just having a dispute. But then he testified that he heard Combs tell Cassie, you are not going to leave. OK, so how did the defense cross-examine the security guard?

So Brian Steele handled the cross-examination. You have Brian Steele saying what you wrote in your incident report to your employer is not what you're describing to me now on the stand. So he pointed out that in his report, he did not write that Combs told Cassie, you're not leaving. He never said that Combs had a devilish stare on his face. And he also asked, why did you not call 911?

So Brian Steele handled the cross-examination. You have Brian Steele saying what you wrote in your incident report to your employer is not what you're describing to me now on the stand. So he pointed out that in his report, he did not write that Combs told Cassie, you're not leaving. He never said that Combs had a devilish stare on his face. And he also asked, why did you not call 911?

Why did you not get authorities involved?

Why did you not get authorities involved?

This individual calls himself a stripper, but prosecutors had called him an escort. He does say that he had been paid by Ventura, actually, to take part in sex acts where he would have sex with Cassie while Combs watched. And he also testified that on two occasions, he actually remembers Combs physically assaulting Cassie.

This individual calls himself a stripper, but prosecutors had called him an escort. He does say that he had been paid by Ventura, actually, to take part in sex acts where he would have sex with Cassie while Combs watched. And he also testified that on two occasions, he actually remembers Combs physically assaulting Cassie.

He said in one instance he saw Combs grab Cassie by the hair while she was sitting in front of her computer, pulled her off of a chair and dragged her into the bedroom and that he could hear slapping sounds coming from the other room. And he was asked by prosecutors, why did you not call the police? Why did you not intervene? And he said more than once that he was scared for his own life.

He said in one instance he saw Combs grab Cassie by the hair while she was sitting in front of her computer, pulled her off of a chair and dragged her into the bedroom and that he could hear slapping sounds coming from the other room. And he was asked by prosecutors, why did you not call the police? Why did you not intervene? And he said more than once that he was scared for his own life.

Yes. So Cassie is the main witness for the government. She's victim one. She's heavily pregnant. She's in her third trimester. She's pregnant with her third child. But she's going to take the stand, and it's going to take multiple days for her testimony. According to opening statements, this will actually be the first time that Cassie has been in the same room as Combs since they broke up. Wow.

Yes. So Cassie is the main witness for the government. She's victim one. She's heavily pregnant. She's in her third trimester. She's pregnant with her third child. But she's going to take the stand, and it's going to take multiple days for her testimony. According to opening statements, this will actually be the first time that Cassie has been in the same room as Combs since they broke up. Wow.

He is a bit of a conundrum. During his testimony, he talked about having participated in these freak-offs and that he developed a friendship with Cassie, or so he thought. On cross-examination, one of Combs' attorneys, Xavier Donaldson, really picked apart his testimony and said, look, some of the things that you're saying are not what you told investigators in the lead-up to this trial.

On one hand, he says, I was so afraid for my life. I did not know what Sean Combs was capable of, which is why I didn't go to the police, which is why I didn't physically intervene. But then there's a text exchange between himself and Cassie Ventura after this incident where he claims he saw Combs be violent with Cassie where he says, I just love y'all. That's paraphrasing the text message.

And when Xavier Donaldson on cross-examination said, well, if you were so scared for your life or you were so disgusted by what you had seen, why did you write that? And he actually says, oh, well, I didn't mean what I texted.

I just did that to bait Cassie because they wanted her to ask me to participate in another freak-off so that I could go see her in person and make sure that she was emotionally and physically okay because I was worried about her. But is that something that the jury's really going to buy?

You know, at one point, prosecutors introduced a photo as evidence just to establish the fact that Cassie was dating Combs, and it was early on in their relationship. And in the photo, it's Cassie, Sean Combs, someone else, and Kim Porter. Reportedly, the love of Combs' life died of pneumonia several years ago, and her children were in that courtroom.

And I looked over at them, and I thought that I was going to see tears, but they remained strong and very stoic.

Yeah, I was actually surprised to see her in the courtroom. About a year ago, that's when she wrote, my heart goes out to her meeting Cassie, saying I know how she feels, also saying that Sean needs help. But she is sitting right there on Combs' side of the courtroom.

He turned around and he watched her walk down the aisle of the courtroom and go up to the witness stand. And he really stared at her during her entire testimony. His face, expressionless. I saw him looking over into the jury box multiple times.

When there was one of the breaks, everybody left the courtroom, and then when we all came back in, as Combs walked back in, he looked over at his family sitting behind him, and he opened his eyes really wide, and you could see him let out this big exhale.

You can tell he's stressed, and this is very different than the Sean Combs that we've seen at all the pretrial hearings where he's smiling, and he's even yesterday blowing a kiss to his family. He looks stressed. Maybe that's because this is the first time that he's seen Cassie since they broke up several years ago. And also, I mean, because let's be honest, he faces up to life in prison.

Oh, absolutely. There will be other witnesses. There are other alleged victims. But Cassie is the star witness.

So Cassie is an artist, right, who had... a couple of hits very early on in her career. And she described being introduced to Combs because she was hoping to sign with Bad Boy Records. And she ultimately did land this 10-album deal with his company. And she said she knew him as this serial entrepreneur. He was a kingmaker.

and you know she was just excited to be in his presence and in the beginning of their relationship he was really looking out for her she had a couple of bad performances and she said that he always had her back but then she says that it was her 21st birthday and she celebrated it in las vegas and that is the night that combs kissed her for the first time and she actually said in her testimony today that she

ran out crying because she was so taken aback by the fact that he was showing interest in her. He's essentially her boss. And she was really confused. And she described herself as just being just really naive when it came to relationships. But then she said shortly thereafter, their situation became romantic and that she started to fall in love with him. And that's when they became intimate.

And then they ended up staying together on and off for 11 years.

And what's also really interesting is that she said she thought that they were in this monogamous relationship, but it turned out that Combs had, quote, many girlfriends in his life, right? And she said on the stand today that she was jealous. And so that is something that we heard in Combs' defense's opening statement yesterday, that this, all of this rage was fueled by jealousy on both sides.

Cassie said that early on in the relationship, he introduced the idea of having threesomes. And ultimately, they had a threesome with an escort. And she said that she didn't want to do it, but that she didn't really vocalize it because she wanted to make Sean happy. And she said that once they did it, it just kept going. And that at one point, these freak-offs were happening weekly.

And some of these freak-offs would last days. At a certain point, she said Sean was essentially controlling most of her life. I mean, she said that, look, I mean, he was the head of Bad Boy. He controlled her career. He told her what to wear, allegedly. She said that she was the one that was instructed by Combs to go and hire these escorts. Sometimes she would book the hotels.

She would pay the escorts. And that she would even bring candles and baby oil and help really arrange the hotel room before these freak-offs happened. Cassie got emotional at times, Chloe? Yeah, so pretty early on in her testimony, you saw her holding a Kleenex, and she was wiping her nose and kind of wiping her eyes.

And then when she started talking about how she really felt forced into these freak-offs and that she really was in love with Combs and really just wanted to make him happy, that's when she broke down crying. So it was a very emotional day.

She's eight months pregnant and walks into this courtroom wearing this fitted brown dress, this long brown overcoat. Her husband was sitting right in front of me and you could hear a pin drop. This has been the most anticipated testimony for

So early. But I was not the earliest because there actually are a lot of people that have been camping out since yesterday. So tell us everything about how this all started this morning. So they finally settled on 12 jurors, six alternates, and that 12-person jury is made up of eight men and four women. I think that's really interesting to point out here that it's a male-dominated jury.

Even the alternates... There's more men than women. We know some of the professions. There's a physician's assistant. There's someone who works at a deli, a massage therapist, even a scientist. So there's a really wide-ranging group of people. And these individuals, they hail from the Southern District of New York. So they come from all of the areas in and around New York City.

So much of their case centers around their star witness, which is Combs' former girlfriend, Cassie Ventura. They say that he ran this criminal enterprise that he used employees to carry out.

illegal activity, they helped him organize these drug-fueled sex parties, that he forced women in his life, these alleged victims, to partake in these parties, have sex with male escorts, force them to take drugs.

Some of them. So it turns out that Combs did film some of these encounters. But what's really interesting is that during the defense openings that were done by Tenny Garagos, she said, you're going to learn that these videos were not found at his home.

during the raids, these were actually videos provided by Cassie to the prosecutors, that you think he had the power, but she actually had the power.

Well, this is not your average trial because he has so many attorneys. I think I counted six or maybe seven at this point. We know that he's recently added Brian Steele. He recently represented Young Thug in his Rico case. You have Mark Agnifilo that also represents Luigi Mangione. As for Combs, he had on what looked like khaki pants, a sweater. He's hot.

He had, again, his gray hair, a gray goatee, but he was smiling. He blew a kiss to his family behind him. His children were there, his mother. He hugged all of his attorneys.

His team recently put in a motion to actually get sweaters. So you're not going to see him in suits. He's going to be in sweaters and khaki pants, shoes without laces. And I was told that this is something that dates as far back as Menendez. The Menendez brothers, when they wore sweaters, is to make them look more approachable to the jury.

So the first person was a security guard. This was someone that was actually working at the hotel when Cassie was brutally beaten in that hallway in 2016. He testified that on that night, he got a call about a woman in distress on the sixth floor of the hotel. So he went up to go see what was going on. And when he got there, that's when he recognized, oh, Cassie.

This is Sean Diddy Combs, and he was there in a towel and socks, and he actually said that Combs had a, quote, devilish stare. He then said that he asked Combs what was going on, and Combs said, look, we were arguing, we were just having a dispute. But then he testified that he heard Combs tell Cassie, you are not going to leave. OK, so how did the defense cross-examine the security guard?

So Brian Steele handled the cross-examination. You have Brian Steele saying what you wrote in your incident report to your employer is not what you're describing to me now on the stand. So he pointed out that in his report, he did not write that Combs told Cassie, you're not leaving. He never said that Combs had a devilish stare on his face. And he also asked, why did you not call 911?

Why did you not get authorities involved?

This individual calls himself a stripper, but prosecutors had called him an escort. He does say that he had been paid by Ventura, actually, to take part in sex acts where he would have sex with Cassie while Combs watched. And he also testified that on two occasions, he actually remembers Combs physically assaulting Cassie.

He said in one instance he saw Combs grab Cassie by the hair while she was sitting in front of her computer, pulled her off of a chair and dragged her into the bedroom and that he could hear slapping sounds coming from the other room. And he was asked by prosecutors, why did you not call the police? Why did you not intervene? And he said more than once that he was scared for his own life.

Yes. So Cassie is the main witness for the government. She's victim one. She's heavily pregnant. She's in her third trimester. She's pregnant with her third child. But she's going to take the stand, and it's going to take multiple days for her testimony. According to opening statements, this will actually be the first time that Cassie has been in the same room as Combs since they broke up. Wow.