There was explosive testimony within the Sean “Diddy” Combs intercourse trafficking trial on Thursday, as rapper Child Cudi took the stand.
Whereas spending a number of hours on the witness stand, Cudi instructed the jury about two key experiences he thinks are tied to Combs.
That got here after Combs’ former assistant completed his testimony that he began on Wednesday, for which he had been granted immunity. Three others additionally testified, together with a make-up artist, a resort supervisor and a federal agent.
Here is a recap of the testimony shared Thursday, and what to anticipate when the trial continues.
Who testified Thursday?
Former private assistant
The primary particular person on the witness stand Thursday was George Kaplan, the previous assistant to Combs, who was persevering with his testimony that started Wednesday. He had beforehand been given immunity, after telling the Manhattan court docket on Wednesday that he would invoke his Fifth Modification proper in opposition to self-incrimination.
Kaplan mentioned trying the opposite method after seeing Combs’ then-girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, overwhelmed and bruised. He mentioned he did the identical factor when he noticed Combs angrily throw apples at his different girlfriend, Gina.
Kaplan testified that he witnessed Combs be violent with Cassie solely as soon as, on a visit to Las Vegas aboard the rap promoter’s personal jet within the second half of 2015 when he heard glass breaking behind him. He mentioned he regarded over his shoulder and noticed Combs standing with a whiskey glass in his hand.
“There was great commotion and a scuffle after which after the glass crashed, Cassie screamed: ‘Isn’t anyone seeing this?” he mentioned on the stand.
Kaplan testified that neither he nor any of the safety employees or Dangerous Boy administration workers on the airplane did something to reply to Cassie’s name for assist. A prosecutor requested why he did not step in to assist the ladies.
“I needed it wasn’t occurring, and standing in the best way of that, was not my approach to succeed,” Kaplan mentioned, including that he didn’t reply to Cassie’s name for assist as a result of he was in his dream job and didn’t wish to wreck it and “couldn’t imagine my luck to be working for such an icon.”
Requested if anybody on the airplane went to test on Cassie, he mentioned no.
Kaplan testified that he ultimately grew fed up with the violence, and give up.
“I used to be unwilling to face by the conduct,” mentioned Kaplan.
He mentioned he instructed Combs that he needed to give up as a result of his father had been identified with prostate most cancers. Even so, he mentioned he nonetheless credit Combs for instructing him a piece ethic that has helped him achieve success in jobs since then. To some extent, the sensation could be mutual: When Kaplan first entered the courtroom on Wednesday, Combs smiled.
Kaplan instructed jurors that his tenure with Combs has “confirmed to be some of the difficult items of my life.”
“I’m a younger man and this can be a God amongst males speaking to me,” mentioned Kaplan, who served as an assistant for Combs and his Combs Enterprises firm from 2013 to 2015.
“He not solely pushed me to my depth he pushed me to depths I didn’t even know I had,” Kaplan mentioned, explaining he “by no means labored more durable in my life.”
Kaplan instructed jurors that he “desperately didn’t wish to come right here in the present day” however that he was compelled to testify as a result of federal prosecutors had subpoenaed him. He mentioned he did not have something in opposition to Combs.
A federal agent testified Wednesday about weapons, medicine and intercourse provides discovered within the residence of Sean “Diddy” Combs in Miami throughout a raid. On Thursday, rapper Child Cudi is about to take the stand in Combs’ intercourse trafficking trial, the place he’s anticipated to testify about his automotive being firebombed after he briefly dated Combs’ ex-girlfriend, Cassie Ventura. NBC New York’s Erica Byfield reviews.
Child Cudi
Child Cudi, whose actual title is Scott Mescudi, took the witness stand round 10:45 a.m. He took his alternative to degree some severe accusations in opposition to Combs, pinning a house break-in and a automotive fire-bombing on the leisure icon.
Cudi instructed that Combs got here after him after studying he had began seeing Cassie. The 2 first met in 2008, recorded some music collectively and dated in 2011. Cudi mentioned he was conscious Cassie had been concerned with Combs across the time they dated.
He testified that Combs entered his residence with out permission in Dec. 2011. Cudi was not residence on the time, however mentioned that as quickly as he heard about, he instantly referred to as Combs.
Cudi mentioned he had gone to a West Hollywood resort with Cassie to get her away from the seething Combs when he obtained a name from Combs’ assistant, Capricorn Clark. He mentioned she instructed him “Sean Combs and an affiliate have been in my home and she or he was in a automotive and she or he was compelled to go together with them over there.”
So Cudi mentioned he obtained into Porsche 911 convertible and drove there, calling Combs alongside the best way. Utilizing an expletive, he requested Combs why he was in the home. He mentioned Combs calmly replied, “I wish to discuss to you.”
Cudi mentioned he instructed Combs he was on his approach to the home, to which Combs mentioned: “I’m over right here ready for you.”
However, Cudi mentioned, Combs wasn’t there when he arrived. As an alternative, he mentioned, he discovered Christmas presents he’d bought for his household had been opened and his canine was locked up in a toilet.
Cudi mentioned he obtained again into his automotive and referred to as Combs once more, asking him the place he was.
He mentioned, “I’m on my method, I’m on my method,” Cudi testified.
Cudi mentioned he wasn’t positive what was happening, so he determined to name the police.
A few month later, Cudi mentioned somebody torched his Porsche that was sitting in his driveway, with a Molotov cocktail tossed inside. The jury noticed photographs of the slashed material roof, wiped out driver’s aspect, and harm attributable to the hearth and smoke.
When requested by a prosecutor what his response was to his automotive getting torched, Cudi mentioned “What the [expletive]?” He then testified that “after the hearth, I used to be like, that is getting out of hand, I want to speak to him.” Cudi mentioned he didn’t have conflicts on the time with anybody apart from Combs.
Ultimately agreeing to a face-to-face assembly with Combs and Cassie in Los Angeles, Cudi mentioned that when he walked in, “Combs was searching the window along with his palms behind his again trying like a Marvel tremendous villain.”
Regardless of the motion film posture, Combs remained oddly calm all through the one-on-one assembly, Cudi mentioned, and even supplied him water on a few events. They ultimately stood and shook palms, earlier than Cudi mentioned he requested Combs: “What are we going to do about my automotive?”
Cudi mentioned Combs gave him a “very chilly stare” and responded: “I don’t know what you’re speaking about.”
Cudi was miffed. He determined to let it go, however recalled Combs noticing his hesitation. “I assumed we have been cool, is there an issue?” Combs requested.
Cudi mentioned he instructed Combs he would take him at his phrase, and he ultimately made peace with the state of affairs. After that, there have been no extra break-ins at his home and no extra bother along with his automotive.
Combs ended up apologizing a number of years later, after they bumped into one another once more on the SoHo Home resort, Cudi testified.
Cudi mentioned Combs, there along with his daughter, pulled him apart and mentioned: “Man, I simply was to apologize for the whole lot and all that (expletive).”
“After the apology, I discovered peace with it,” Cudi testified.
Questioned in regards to the break-in by protection lawyer Brian Metal, Cudi acknowledged that he had left the door to his residence unlocked and that there was no harm to the construction.
Cudi left the courtroom with out trying within the course of Combs.
Cassie Ventura took the stand for the fourth and closing day on Could 16 to testify in ex-boyfriend Sean “Diddy” Combs’ intercourse trafficking trial. NBC Information leisure correspondent Chloe Melas, who was contained in the courtroom, shares with Entry Hollywood how the jury heard a unique aspect of Ventura because the protection introduced audio proof of the singer screaming at a male acquaintance who she thought had a video of her collaborating in a “freak-off” with Combs.
Make-up artist
A make-up artist who helped lined Cassie’s accidents after alleged beating by combs additionally testified on Thursday. Mylah Morales testified that she noticed accidents on Cassie’s face solely as soon as whereas doing make-up for her between 2007 and 2021.
She mentioned it occurred in 2010 throughout Grammys weekend after Combs stormed into Cassie’s bed room at a resort and she or he heard “yelling and screaming.” After an offended Combs left the room, Morales mentioned, she went in and noticed Cassie.
“She had a swollen eye and a busted lip and knots on her head,” she mentioned.
When Morales noticed that, she instantly packed up her issues and obtained her out of the resort, she mentioned. Morales mentioned her physician pal checked Cassie out the subsequent day and beneficial she go to the emergency room, however Cassie didn’t go.
Lodge supervisor
Frédéric Zemmour testified that Combs regularly stayed on the L’Ermitage Beverly Hills utilizing aliases reminiscent of Frank White and Frank Black — names Cassie mentioned he used when checking in for “freak-off” sexual encounters.
Zemmour mentioned Combs’ visitor profile famous that he “ALWAYS spills candle wax on the whole lot and makes use of extreme quantities of oil.” The profile instructed workers to “place the room out of order upon departure for deep cleansing.”
“Please authorize an additional $1000 when visitor stays with us to cowl any room damages,” Combs’ visitor profile mentioned.
Prosecutors highlighted a number of complaints about Combs’ stays within the resort’s inside information, together with one from January 2010 through which the housekeeping workers mentioned it noticed “giant deposits of candle wax on carpets in lounge space, and on the night time stands in bed room space.” Combs was charged $500 for the harm.
Laptop computer knowledgeable
A federal agent additionally testified about extracting information from Cassie’s laptop computer computer systems.
Who’s testifying subsequent?
The trial gained’t resume till Tuesday due to the Memorial Day vacation. On Tuesday, prosecutors say they’ll name Capricorn Clark, who was an assistant to Combs and a member of his advertising workforce. They mentioned additionally they count on to name witnesses from the Los Angeles police and fireplace departments.
