On the morning of May 15 (US time), rapper Diddy's trial began with an interview with witness - singer Cassie Ventura.
According to CBS News, Cassie Ventura is Diddy's ex-girlfriend. She admitted that she has been dating Diddy for 11 years and has been taking care of him throughout that time. Thanks to that, she "knows Diddy's true self, the version that he doesn't want the rest of the world to know".
After that, Cassie stated that Diddy had been addicted for a period of time, had to quit and suffered serious health problems. Evidence shows that the main drug Diddy uses is performance-enhancing drugs or MDMA (a amphetamine-like substance that has stimulating and hallucinating effects). She witnessed the process of quitting drug addiction.
In addition, Ventura said that Diddy had an affair with other women in the flow, which hurt her because he refused to end their relationship with them.
Regarding the "Freak Offs" parties that Diddy organized, Cassie Ventura was also forced to participate, have sex with others and beaten by Diddy.
Diddy's defense attorney - Anne Estevao - is said to have proven that Cassie voluntarily attended Diddy's sex party by asking the female singer to read a series of sensitive messages between them during their time together.
Among the pieces of evidence, Cassie Ventura said the jury had not read the entire content of the message.
In a federal trial on May 13, prosecutor Emily Johnson said that Diddy maintained control of Cassie by using stimulants, threats, and recording a video of her being forced to have sex with many male employees in a nightclub.
The "Freak Offs" are where Cassie is drugged and forced to do things she doesn't want to do. Witness is unlikely to escape a toxic relationship because Diddy controls her completely from her outfit, work, whereabouts, the people she contacts and even her phone and computer.
In 2023, Ventura filed a federal lawsuit against Diddy, accusing him of rape and physical abuse.
"After years of silence and darkness, I am finally ready to tell my story and speak up for the benefit of myself and other women facing violence and abuse in their relationships," Ventura told CBS News at the time.
Also since Ventura's lawsuit, dozens of women and men have filed lawsuits against Diddy on charges of sexual abuse.
Many people have complained that they were drugged and mistreated while they were unable to act, some people even affirmed that other celebrities were also present or participated in the mistreatment.
However, most of the allegations were not part of the criminal case. Prosecutors focus on allegations with physical evidence or witness statements.
Cassie Ventura was publicly identified as a witness in the case, while 3 other women were likely to stand up to witness.
Their names were not announced, temporarily placed as Victim 1, Victim 2 and Victim 3. They are expected to be summoned for questioning when the trial takes place.
