Diddy trial live: Ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura expected to testify

The 55-year-old music mogulâ??s ex-girlfriend is expected to testify a day after a witness described her alleged involvement in Diddyâ??s â??freak offsâ??

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Diddy's mom set to sit behind him during Cassie Ventura's testimony

Janice Combs is expected to sit directly behind her son as Cassandra “Cassie” Ventura, Diddy’s ex-girlfriend and the prosecution’s main witness, is set to take the stand on Tuesday.

On Monday, the 84-year-old matriarch, who has been one of Combs’ most vocal defenders, sat in the first spectator’s bench directly behind where her son was seated at the defense table.

James Liddell13 May 2025 12:45

Long lines and grey skies on day two of Diddy trial

It’s an overcast and humid day as we head into the second day of trial, writes reporter Ariana Baio from outside the federal courthouse in Lower Manhattan.

The line to get into court is considerably shorter than it was yesterday but still long enough that it extends down the street.

We’re expecting defense to wrap up the cross-examination of a male dancer who testified about having sex with Cassandra “Cassie” Ventura. Ventura is also expected to take the stand today at some point.

Long lines and overcast skies as day two of the Sean "Diddy" Combs trial arrives (Ariana Baio/The Independent)

Ariana Baio 13 May 2025 12:22

Inside the courtroom: What did our reporter make of day one?

Reporter Kelly Rissman was in the Manhattan federal courtroom on Monday as the high-profile criminal trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs entered its first day. Here were her impressions of yesterday’s proceedings:

A riveted, and sometimes horrified, courtroom

Gasps and groans reverberated throughout the overflow room as Daniel Phillip gave his testimony. It was nothing short of shocking, revealing extremely intimate details about the music mogul's sex life.

Sometimes when the judge overruled the defense team’s objections, some spectators would say something like: "Come on!" Others would react to the testimony about Phillip's texts to Cassie or his sexual encounters; a mention of "baby oil" always got at least a few laughs.

Impactful video evidence

His bombshell testimony came after jurors were subjected to watching surveillance footage of Combs' attack on Cassie multiple times. In that instance, the room was silent, as if disturbed.

The video had been a sticking point during jury selection, with attorneys hesitant toward any potential juror who had expressed an opinion about the footage that nearly everyone had already seen.

Phillip's testimony also included difficult parts, in which he discussed seeing and overhearing Cassie being beaten by the defendant. Cassie is expected to testify tomorrow.

James Liddell13 May 2025 12:15

Recap: What did witness Daniel Phillip, a male escort, testify on Monday?

Daniel Phillip was paid by Combs to have sex with the rapper’s girlfriend, Cassandra “Cassie” Ventura, the court heard on Monday.

The escort, who is expected to return to the stand early Tuesday, said he was hired under the pretense of stripping for women at a bachelorette party at the Gramercy Park Hotel in New York City in 2012. He testified that Ventura gave him a few thousand dollars and would tip him at the end of the encounter.

He also said that after leaving an encounter at the hotel, Ventura texted him to return for more sex with her, with Combs performing a lewd act on himself in the corner of the room.

Phillip testified that he returned to have similar encounters with Ventura for the next year or two. He also recalled Diddy giving him specific directions for how he should be having sex with Ventura, including instructions to apply more baby oil onto their bodies.

Three of Combs’s daughters attending the trial reportedly left the room during this portion of the testimony, the New York Times reported.

James Liddell13 May 2025 11:46

Who are the jurors set to decide Diddy's fate?

Before opening statements on Monday, a pool of 43 jurors was finally whittled down to 12, with an additional six alternates.

Eight men and four women comprise the dozen New Yorkers selected to sit for Sean “Diddy” Combs’ federal criminal trial, which is expected to last at least eight weeks.

Those selected range from the ages of 30 to 74, living across Manhattan, the Bronx and neighboring Westchester County.

They hail from a variety of professions, including an investment analyst, a massage therapist and a physician assistant.

Several of the younger jurors in their 30s and 40s said they listen to hip-hop and R&B music, genres aligned with Combs.

Some of the jurors have said they were familiar with a video of Combs assaulting his ex-girlfriend Cassandra Ventura, the R&B singer known as Cassie, in a Los Angeles hotel hallway in 2016.

James Liddell13 May 2025 11:16

Graphic testimony emphasizes the reality of the accusations Diddy faces

Just hours after arriving at the Daniel Patrick Moynihan Courthouse for Sean “Diddy” Combs’ trial, jurors had already watched graphic footage of domestic violence and heard salacious testimony about the rapper’s sex life.

Monday marked the first day of hearing evidence in the hotly anticipated trial. It was also the first time Diddy faced the 12 jurors who will determine his fate. The courtroom was stuffed with crowds of people, anxiously awaiting more context for the indictment’s bombshell accusations. In that sense, opening statements and testimony did not disappoint.

The first day already exposed shocking material, including frequent mentions of baby oil, allegations that he made a male sex worker urinate in his girlfriend’s mouth, and the hotel surveillance footage from 2016 capturing Diddy assaulting his then-girlfriend Cassie Ventura.

Read Kelly Rissaman’s full report from the ground:

James Liddell13 May 2025 10:46

Who is Cassie Ventura? Diddy’s ex-girlfriend at the heart of rapper’s trial

Cassie Ventura, the former girlfriend of Sean “Diddy” Combs, is expected to testify at the hip-hop mogul’s trial in New York on Tuesday.

Ventura, 38, featured prominently in Monday’s evidence, with LAPD Officer Israel Florez describing witnessing Combs attacking his former partner in the hallway of the InterContinental Hotel in Century City, California, in March 2016.

The incident was captured on CCTV and was broadcast around the world after being obtained by CNN in May 2024.

A star in her own right since being discovered by Diddy in the early 2000s, Cassie Elizabeth Ventura was born in New London, Connecticut, on August 26, 1986.

Joe Sommerlad takes has more:

James Liddell13 May 2025 10:10

Diddy's ex-girlfriend Cassie expected to take the stand

Good morning and welcome to The Independent’s coverage as the federal criminal trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs enters its second day.

R&B singer Cassie, whose real name is Cassandra Ventura, is expected to take the stand early on Tuesday to testify against Combs, her former boyfriend.

Witness Daniel Phillip, who was called to the stand Monday, is expected to continue his testimony early Tuesday. The trial is expected to begin at about 9.30 a.m.

James Liddell13 May 2025 09:41

See you tomorrow

This concludes our coverage of the opening day of the Sean “Diddy” Combs trial.

We’ll resume reporting Tuesday morning, ahead of the trial resuming at 9:30 a.m. EDT.

Josh Marcus12 May 2025 23:50

Today's trial, in sketches Sean “Diddy” Combs listens during opening statements (AP ) Janice Combs, mother of Sean "Diddy" Combs, left, observes the trial (AP ) Daniel Philip testifies about his sexual encounters with Diddy and Cassie (AP ) First witness Intercontinental Security Officer Israel Florez testifies on the witness stand ( AP)

Josh Marcus12 May 2025 23:30

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