Who Is on the Jury in Diddy's Sex Trafficking Trial? What to Know About the 12 Jurors Deciding His Fate
Elizabeth Williams via AP Sean "Diddy" Combs is facing charges of sex trafficking, racketeering and transportation to engage in prostitution in his New York City trial Twelve jurors have been selected to decide the verdict The jury consists of eight men and four women aged 30 to 74 Sean "Diddy" Combsis standing trial for allegations of sex trafficking, racketeering and transportation to engage in prostitution. The case of the former hip-hop mogul, who haspleaded not guiltyand denied the charges, will be tried in front of 12 New York jurors. They range in age from 30 to 74 and have vowed to remain unbiased in the highly publicized trial. Combs'trial began on May 5when the jury members were selected and has continued to play out in a courtroom in Manhattan. Both the prosecution and the defense teams began presenting their sides inopening statements on May 12. Combs' team, led by attorneysMarc Agnifilo, Teny Geragos andBrian Steel, argued that the claims made against their client are "not evidence of sex trafficking." Meanwhile, the prosecutors alleged that Combs used "Freak Offs" — which they described as "elaborate and produced sex performances" — to run a "criminal enterprise" linked to allegations of kidnapping, arson and drug offenses. Starting on the second day of trial, Combs' exCasandra "Cassie" Venturatestified against the record exec and went into detail about Combs' alleged physical, sexual and verbal abuse. In addition to Ventura, jurors will also hear the stories from three victims who claim Combs abused or assaulted them. Here's everything to know about the 12 jurors deciding Sean "Diddy" Combs' fate in his sex trafficking trial. Elizabeth Williams via AP Combs' sex trafficking trial began on May 5 when Judge Arun Subramanian, the prosecutors and the defense team whittled down the 600 potential jurors to 12 jurors and six alternates. The 12 jurors and six alternates weresworn in as official jurorsone week later on May 12. Their identities have not been revealed, but they range in age from 30 to 74, with an average age of 52. Five of the jurors are from Manhattan, while three hail from the Bronx and four are from Westchester. Eight of the jurors are men, while four are women. In addition to all living in the Southern District of New York, all of the jurors have another thing in common, too: they all have some sort of college degree. One of them has a PhD, and two of them have master's degrees. Although the jurors have sworn to arrive in court impartial, some of them told the judge that they had heard about the case before their selection. The jurors all have different jobs, ranging from a deli clerk to a scientist. Of the men, the youngest is a 31-year-old investment analyst living in Manhattan who said he had seen the2016 video of Combs assaulting Venturaand was aware of the trial prior to his selection. The second youngest male, 39, works as a child care preventative social worker who has dealt with domestic violence cases in the past. A third male juror is a 41-year-old clerk from the Bronx who works at a correctional facility. Like the first juror, he revealed that he had knowledge of Combs' allegations before his selection but assured the teams that it wouldn't bias him. The fourth male juror is a 51-year-old scientist with a PhD in molecular biology who also had vague knowledge of the case. The fifth juror is a 67-year-old man who is a bank analyst from Westchester. The sixth man, 68, is retired in Westchester and used to work for a bank. The seventh male juror is also a 68-year-old retired male, who admitted to both watching Combs' reality TV showMaking the Bandand seeing the 2016 video of Combs assaulting Ventura. "I seen a video of Mr. Combs and it seems like this person was in this video and harm was being done to her in the video on TV," he said in court. "I didn't exactly know the reason why he was doing that. But I don't think that would impede me from making a decision as far as if he went any further with it or what. I didn't see too much of it." The final male juror is a 69-year-old massage therapist living in Manhattan. Of the four women, the youngest juror in the entire pool is a 30-year-old deli clerk who lives with her family in the Bronx. The second female juror, 42, works as an aide in a nursing home and lives in Manhattan. Just like some of the male jurors, she said she has some knowledge of Combs' allegations. The third woman is a 43-year-old physician's assistant who lives in Westchester with her family. The final woman and oldest of the jury is a 74-year-old treatment coordinator who lives in Manhattan and works at an organization that helps people with disabilities. There are also six alternate jurors — four men and two women. The men range in age from 35 to 57, while the women range from 24 to 71. Like the 12 jurors, many of the alternates have some knowledge of the allegations against Combs, but said they would still be impartial. The jurors are not being sequestered, but they are also not allowed to look at outside coverage of the trial or discuss the case with anyone else. KENA BETANCUR/AFP via Getty Over 600 potential jurors were initially pooled on May 5. Judge Subramanian, who was in charge of the jury selection, gave all the candidates a lengthy questionnaire to determine their fit. The questionnaire varied in topics, but one of the subjects wasfamiliarity with a long list of celebritieswhose names could come up at trial. "I read through the people and places list, which is several pages long. I felt I wasreading an appendix from, like,TheLord of the Rings," the judge joked during the first day of jury selection. Some of the celebrities named in the questionnaire includedKanye West,Michael B. Jordan,Mike Myers,Kid Cudi, Ventura and former Destiny's Child memberMichelle Williams. Jurors also had to write about their familiarity with actress Lauren London, songwriter/producer Dallas Austin, producer Harve Pierre, choreographer/director Laurieann Gibson and former Danity Kane member Dawn Richard. The judge previously clarified that the celebrities listed in the questionnaire did not guarantee that they would be called as witnesses or named again in the trial. Sources previously told PEOPLE thatJordan's name was mentionedbecause of a brief 2015 relationship he had with Ventura. Some of the celebrities' names rang a bell for potential jurors, with some recognizing Jordan, Myers and Cudi. However, no potential juror cited having any sort of friendship or relationship with any of the stars listed. Elizabeth Williams via AP After five days of going through every candidate, Judge Subramanian, the prosecutors and defense chose the 12 jurors and six alternates. Throughout the selection period, potential jurors were dismissed for a variety of reasons. PEOPLE previously reported that the high-profile multi-week trial seemed daunting for some people, with one potential juror requesting to be excused due to "issues of personal well-being." Prosecutors also cited some of the reasons they dismissed candidates, which included one allegedly having a history of lying to police, another having "inconsistent" answers in their questionnaire and a third allegedly saying that Combs' victims jumped on a "bandwagon." Meanwhile, one woman was dismissed on May 6 after she told the court that she thought Combs could "possiblybuy his way out of jail." "Diddy has a lot of money to use at his discretion and possibly buy his way out of jail," she said. "I don't know how to explain it." During that same day of questioning, a male juror was dismissed afteradmitting that he smoked marijuana every nightand said it could affect his judgment. "I smoke marijuana personally for recreational use," he said. When the judge asked him if he could quit smoking before the trial, he said that it would be difficult and was subsequently released. Andrea Renault/STAR MAX/IPx Combs' trial, which is expected to last eight weeks, is taking place at the Daniel Patrick Moynihan United States Courthouse, the Southern District of New York's federal court. The mogul's case will not be available to watch anywhere, since the presence of "electronic media" in a federal criminal trial is banned underFederal Rule of Criminal Procedure 53. The rule forbids any sort of photography or broadcasting equipment from entering the courtroom. RapperR. Kelly's 2021 federal trial, during which he wasfound guilty, was also not filmed. In addition, since several of Combs' alleged victims have not exposed their identities, they'll be testifying in person under pseudonyms to protect their privacy. PEOPLE willcontinue to extensively cover Combs' trial. Read the original article onPeople
Who Is on the Jury in Diddy's Sex Trafficking Trial? What to Know About the 12 Jurors Deciding His Fate Elizabeth Williams via AP Sean ...
