Jury Selection Begins for Sean "Diddy" Combs’ Trial: Proposed Questions Reveal Intriguing Insights
According to a report by CNN, the jury pool in the Sean "Diddy" Combs’ trial could be asked about their views on sex with multiple partners, drugs, and hip-hop, among other topics. Proposed questions for the voir dire process, which is set to begin in New York next week, were filed by both federal prosecutors and Combs’ defense team on Friday.
The proposed questions, obtained by CNN, reveal that potential jurors will be examined regarding their feelings, beliefs, or experiences related to topics like intimate partner violence, cheating in a relationship, prostitution, the distribution of illegal drugs, and the music industry.
"The defendant in this case is a wealthy celebrity," the filing from the defense states, continuing with a suggested question about whether "wealthy people get away with things that the less wealthy do not?" This question, as reported by CNN, highlights the defense team’s strategy to explore potential biases against Combs’ wealth and celebrity status.
The defense would like the court to ask potential jurors about their personal experiences or opinions about drug or alcohol use, substance addiction; whether evidence about cheating on girlfriends or boyfriends would affect their ability to serve as a fair and impartial juror; and whether hearing about "people engaging in sexual relations with multiple sexual partners" would be difficult.
At a recent hearing, Combs’ attorney, Marc Agnifilo, compared Combs to a "swinger." Combs has repeatedly said that all of his sexual encounters have been consensual, as CNN previously reported.
Aside from standard questions like a juror’s age, place of residence, year of birth, occupation, and educational background, prospective jurors could also be asked if they’ve had prior sexual assault, sexual harassment, or domestic violence training, as well as whether they have ever been through a traumatic event, their sources for news, what podcasts they listen to, and what television programs they watch, according to the filings obtained by CNN. The prosecution’s proposed questions included whether jurors watch "Law and Order," "CSI," or any other police dramas.
"You may hear evidence in this case relating to acts of violence, including intimate partner violence and other assaults," the prosecution’s filing states, as quoted by CNN. "Do you have any feelings, beliefs, or experiences relating to that aspect of the case that could affect your ability to be fair and impartial in this case?"
Prosecutors also want the court to ask about paying commercial sex workers in exchange for sex; sex trafficking; personal feeling towards law enforcement; the distribution and use of illegal drugs and firearms, as CNN reported.
In their filing, prosecutors allude to the federal searches of Combs’ homes in Los Angeles and Miami that occurred last year. "You may hear testimony in this case that law enforcement officers recovered certain evidence from cellular telephone records and iCloud accounts. These searches were perfectly legal," prosecutors write, as cited by CNN. "Do you have any feelings, beliefs, or experiences regarding such searches by law enforcement that would influence your ability to evaluate this testimony fairly and impartially?"
Prosecutors state in their filing that the jury may hear from witnesses testifying "under a grant of immunity" and could hear evidence that "other individuals, in addition to the defendant, were involved in the alleged crimes," noting that those individuals are not on trial and cannot be prosecuted for their testimony, according to CNN.
They plan to inform potential jurors that some witnesses will testify under a pseudonym, according to the court document, as reported by CNN. (The judge has allowed alleged victims of Combs to testify under a pseudonym to protect their privacy – though Combs’ ex-girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, has opted to use her real name in the trial.) Their filing states jurors may receive a "list of names" of individuals who may be mentioned or will testify in the trial.
"Please read this list to yourself, and please do not say any of the names out loud," the filing for the prosecution states, explaining that the jury pool may be asked if they know any of these individuals, as CNN reported.
Combs has pleaded not guilty to the federal charges he faces of sex trafficking, transportation to engage in prostitution, and racketeering conspiracy. He is currently being held at a federal detention center in New York City as he awaits trial, which will begin with jury selection on May 5, as confirmed by CNN.
