A key witness in the trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs is missing, according to prosecutors.
Lead prosecutor Maurene Comey said last week that they had not been able to contact a witness identified as “Victim-3,” according to EOnline.
The rap mogul has been charged with racketeering, sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion, transportation to engage in prostitution, sex trafficking, and prostitution.
Prosecutors said the witness had “very personal and explosive details” concerning alleged abuse.
Comey said in court that prosecutors are no longer certain the woman would even show up.
“The disappearance of a key victim at trial is crippling for the prosecution,” attorney John J. Perlstein told Fox News.
“I doubt it impacts other counts; however, it will severely impact the one relating to the AWOL victim. A lot of times, people reconsider wanting to be involved in such a high-profile matter. Good prosecutors will adapt and, hopefully, their case is not dependent on the cooperation of one person,” Perlstein said.
“If this witness doesn’t show, that’s a problem,” entertainment lawyer Tre Lovell said. “One of the biggest questions in this prosecution is the small number of victim-witnesses in light of all the civil lawsuits and ‘victims’ out there.
“To have only three to four actual victims testifying against allegations of two decades-long criminality is telling. Although the government will have other witnesses to testify (i.e. staff workers, Diddy associates, people that were part of his entourage), the victims will be the most compelling and important people on the stand,” he said.
Criminal defense lawyer Jo-Anna Nieves said lawyers for Combs are taking a risk by trying to say there was violence on both sides of the relationship between Combs and various women.
“The defense is essentially arguing that the relationship with Victim 1 was volatile on both sides, so it shouldn’t be seen as one-sided abuse or coercion,” Nieves said.
“That might sound plausible at first, but in court, mutual violence doesn’t automatically cancel out claims of coercion. The focus will be on who held the power in the relationship,” she said.
“If Diddy controlled the situation through money, status, threats or manipulation, then any violence from the other party won’t excuse or equalize that dynamic,” she added.
“Jurors also tend to be turned off by strategies that seem like victim-blaming,” Nieves continued. “Trying to make the victim look just as responsible can backfire, especially if there’s evidence that Diddy was the primary aggressor. This approach might raise some questions in the jury’s mind, but it’s a strategy that depends heavily on context and credibility.”
Diddy’s legal team was slapped last week after attorney Mark Geragos, working with the team as a jury consultant, was scolded for calling the prosecution “a six-pack of white women,” according to NBC.
U.S. District Court Judge Arun Subramanian took issue with the characterization.
“I think this is ridiculous,” Subramanian said. “I think referring to the prosecution in this case as a six-pack of white women is outrageous. … This would not be tolerated in any court from any lawyer anywhere across the nation.”
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