Cassie Ventura is no longer on the stand, but she was the central character in testimony from three witnesses on Monday in the federal criminal case against Sean “Diddy” Combs.
Pop singer Dawn Richard, Ventura’s former best friend and one of Combs’ former assistants each testified about their interactions with Ventura as the prosecution sought to bolster Ventura’s testimony last week that Combs physically abused her and controlled her life for over a decade.
The prosecution alleges that Combs and some in his inner circle used threats, violence, drugs, bribery, arson, kidnapping and lies to coerce Ventura and another woman into participating in what he called “Freak Offs” and to protect the music mogul’s reputation.
In contrast, the defense has contended that Combs was at times jealous, had substance abuse issues and described his relationship with Ventura as mutually violent, as opposed to the head of an organized criminal enterprise. They have also argued the women consented to the sexual arrangements.
Combs has pleaded not guilty to racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution and, if convicted of the most serious charges, could face up to life in prison.
Here’s what we learned from testimony Monday.
Danity Kane singer ‘frequently’ saw abuse
Witness Dawn Richard testifies on Monday.
Elizabeth Williams/AP
Richard, a former member of the musical group Danity Kane, testified Monday she “frequently” saw Combs assault Ventura, saying she’d seen him punch, choke, drag, slap and kick her.
After one such assault in 2009, Ventura wore sunglasses to try to hide the injury, Richard said. Richard and a friend, singer Kaleena Harper, also wore sunglasses “to have solidarity, to be a friend, to be a support system for someone who needed it,” she testified. The jury saw a photo of the three women wearing sunglasses after the assault.
Some members of Combs’ security staff witnessed the violence toward Ventura, Richard testified, but when they did, “they wouldn’t react, they wouldn’t do anything.”
Defense questions Richard’s memory and motives
Under cross-examination, Richard faced questions about her memory of the assaults and her motives.
At the start of her testimony Friday afternoon, Richard testified she saw Combs assault Ventura in 2009 in the kitchen after she was cooking eggs. The next day, Combs told Richard and another witness to remain silent, saying “where he comes from, people go missing if they talk,” she testified.
Defense attorney Nicole Westmoreland suggested Richard’s account of the kitchen incident and its aftermath has changed over time. Richard said she’s recounted it over time to the best of her recollection.
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Richard, 42, signed with Bad Boy Records and worked for Combs from 2004 to 2011 as part of two musical groups, Danity Kane and Diddy – Dirty Money. She testified that she felt “saddened” by Combs’ decision to dismantle both of those groups and confirmed that the music she’s released since hasn’t reached the same level of success. Richard said she reached out to Combs as recently as 2020 to work together again.
Richard filed a lawsuit last September accusing Combs of sexual battery, sexual harassment and false imprisonment, among other allegations. Combs has denied the allegations.
Westmoreland asked Richard if she filed a lawsuit against Combs to “get a lot of money.” Richard denied that but said she wants to be “compensated for the work (she) put forth.”
Combs, wearing a tan crew neck sweater, white-collared shirt and khaki pants, passed a few post-it notes to his attorney during the cross-examination.
Ventura’s former best friend says Combs hit her with wooden hanger
Assistant US Attorney Meredith Foster questions Kerry Morgan on Monday.
Jane Rosenberg/Reuters
Kerry Morgan, the second witness Monday, testified that she was best friends with Ventura until shortly after she was assaulted by Combs in 2018.
“He came up behind me and choked me and then boomeranged a wooden hanger at my head,” Morgan testified. “I had finger marks on my neck.”
Morgan testified she was planning on filing a lawsuit after the assault but didn’t do it. She met with Ventura about a month later, and Ventura told her she would be receiving $30,000 from Combs, she said. Ventura also told her she was “overexaggerating,” Morgan said.
Morgan said she signed an NDA, or non-disclosure agreement, that day and hasn’t spoken with Ventura since. They had been best friends since 2001, she said.
“The reason I stopped speaking with her is because she was not supportive of me after that incident,” Morgan testified on cross-examination.
Morgan said she’s testifying because she was subpoenaed and didn’t want to be in court. “I have moved on with my life, away from all these people and the problems,” she testified.
On cross-examination, Morgan testified that Ventura was jealous of Kim Porter, the late actress who shared three children with Combs, and of Combs’ other girlfriend Gina.
Ex-friend vividly remembers two assaults
Kerry Morgan arrives at court on Monday.
Ted Shaffrey/AP
Morgan also said she vividly remembered two incidents in which Combs assaulted Ventura and said he was not intoxicated or under the influence on either occasion.
During one of the assaults, Morgan asked one of Combs’ security guards to intervene, but he responded that he wasn’t going to do anything, she testified.
The other assault occurred in Jamaica around 2013 when Combs dragged Ventura by the hair and pushed her to the ground, where she hit her head on the brick walkway, Morgan said.
Combs had complained Ventura was taking too long in bathroom before dragging her down the hallway, Morgan testified.
“I heard Cassie screaming so I ran into the hallway where she was,” she said, describing the screams as “guttural.”
“He dragged her down probably, like, a 50-yard hallway by her hair, and then took her out in the front driveway and pushed her down, where she hit her head on the brick,” she said.
After he pushed her to the ground Ventura eventually got up and fled barefoot into a wooded area, and once Morgan found her, they hid crouched down in a ditch for what felt like hours, Morgan testified.
Hotel assault aftermath
Morgan also offered further details on the aftermath of the March 2016 assault at the InterContinental hotel in Los Angeles that has been the central visual evidence in the case. CNN first published video of the incident last year.
Surveillance video shows Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs physically assaulting former girlfriend in 2016
Morgan said she had been staying at Ventura’s apartment at the time and Ventura came home with a black eye.
About 30 minutes later, Combs arrived, yelling and banging on the door with a hammer, Morgan testified. Morgan said she was “freaking out” and called Combs’ security guard and assistant, hoping they’d get him to stop. Ventura just sat on the couch, Morgan recalled, unmoved.
“I don’t think she cared if he came in and killed her,” she testified.
Eventually, Combs left and did not gain access to the apartment. The police arrived at some point, but Ventura wouldn’t cooperate with the officers, Morgan said.
Combs had control over Ventura, witnesses say
Morgan said that she would tell Ventura to leave Combs, but she would say she couldn’t.
“Because of her job, her car, her apartment – he controlled everything. She would’ve lost all of her livelihood,” Morgan said.
David James, a former assistant to Combs, was the third witness of the day and similarly testified about a conversation he had with Ventura in Miami around 2007.
“Man this lifestyle is crazy,” Ventura said, according to James. He agreed and suggested she leave.
“I can’t, I can’t get out,” Ventura told him, James said. She went on to say that Combs controlled her music career, paid for her apartment and gave her an allowance, James testified.
“I just didn’t think that she could easily leave,” James said.
Finally, James described Kim Porter as Combs’ “main girlfriend” and then listed four other women, including Ventura, as his “other girlfriends.” He testified that one time a business associate asked Combs about Porter and Ventura, and Combs responded that Porter was doing well and described her as his “queen,” James said.
Combs then described Ventura as “moldable” and said, “I got her right where I want her, she’s young,” James testified.
