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Sean “Diddy” Combs won’t take the witness stand as his criminal trial winds down.
Combs’ defense team plans to rest their case on Tuesday, June 24, without testimony from the mogul. In the months leading up to the trial, there was considerable speculation about whether Combs would testify. At one point, his attorney Marc Agnifilo said it would be difficult to keep his client off the witness stand because he was so eager to defend himself and tell his side of the story. Now it’s more than likely that Combs’ testimony would put him at risk, especially if he faces cross-examination from the country’s top prosecutors.
The defense doesn't plan to call on any other witnesses either. Instead, they plan to submit more evidence of their client’s innocence. They’ve already presented text messages that show his former girlfriends, Cassandra “Cassie” Ventura and “Jane,” consented to the freak offs despite their harrowing testimonies about what happened after they participated. Combs' lawyers believe they've presented enough to negate the prosecution's evidence and their trove of witnesses.
Speaking of which, the prosecution aims to rest their case following testimony from the final witness, Joseph Cerciello. The Homeland Security Investigations special agent told the court that he had reviewed several hours of footage from the freak-off tapes, including the additional footage the jury watched on Monday. He also testified about hotel invoices, flight records, and payments made to "Jane" and the male escorts. Cerciello will wrap up his testimony today.
The trial is expected to wrap up this week, with closing arguments expected on Thursday. It's possible that the jury could come back with a verdict as soon as Friday.