The jury in the ongoing Sean “Diddy” Combs trial has reached a verdict on four of the five counts in his federal case, with deliberations on the outstanding racketeering charge expected to continue tomorrow.
Jurors reached a partial verdict late on Tuesday afternoon and are deadlocked on the racketeering charge. At 4:05 p.m., the jury notified Judge Arun Subramanian that a consensus had been reached on two counts of sex trafficking and another two on transportation to engage in prostitution.
The jury’s ruling on the four counts will not be announced until they decide on the fifth.
In a note to the judge, jurors said that there were “unpersuadable opinions on both sides” regarding the racketeering charge, which accuses Combs of leading an enterprise with employees helping him commit and cover up crimes such as drug distribution, kidnapping, arson and sex trafficking. The judge instructed the jury to keep deliberating.
The jurors began deliberations on Monday morning and have so far spent about 14 hours discussing the charges against Combs. They will resume on Wednesday at 9 a.m. and may continue into Thursday, July 3, which would otherwise be a court holiday.
Combs’ lead counsel, Marc Agnifilo, urged the judge not to read the jurors material outside of the jury charge in order to stress the importance of deliberations. He argued that the jury does not need “help moving efficiently,” and the court should avoid anything that might “pressure” the jurors to reach a decision on the racketeering charge before the July 4 holiday, which is when the judge initially estimated the trial would conclude.
After the jury note announcing the partial verdict, Combs sat anxiously in his chair with his legs crossed, tapping his fingers and whispering to his attorneys.
When the jury returned, the judge re-read a portion of the jury charge, encouraging the jurors to continue deliberating with careful consideration of the evidence. He told them not to “hesitate to change your opinion” when presented with compelling arguments from fellow jurors, but also to not “surrender” their beliefs for the purpose of reaching a unanimous decision.
At the end of last week, Combs’ trial reached an explosive conclusion after seven grueling weeks of testimony. The defense argued that Combs has been subjected to a “false trial,” and that he is not guilty of sex trafficking but is instead a member of the “swingers lifestyle” who participated in consensual “threesomes” with his ex-girlfriends and male entertainers. Throughout the closing argument, Combs nodded and listened intently, either leaning back in his chair or crossing his arms on the table.
The prosecution gave a brief rebuttal, with attorney Maurene Comey telling the jury: “For 20 years, the defendant got away with his crimes. That ends in this courtroom. The defendant is not a god. He is a person. And in this courtroom, he stands equal before the law. Overwhelming evidence proves his guilt. It is time to hold him accountable. Find him guilty.”
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