Videos by According2HipHop
An alternate juror in the federal trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs is speaking out—and while he didn’t help decide the verdict, he believes the jury got it right.
The unnamed juror sat down with CNN on Thursday to share his perspective after the music mogul was found not guilty of the most serious charges—racketeering and sex trafficking—but was convicted on lesser prostitution-related counts involving both Cassie Ventura and another woman identified only as Jane Doe, believed to be his ex Daphne Joy.
“I understood the final verdict,” the alternate juror admitted, citing the “350 pages worth of notes” he was able to review. “Reading all my notes, and looking back at the evidence, I probably would have reached the same conclusion as the other jurors.”
He also shed some light on the controversial and highly graphic evidence that made headlines during the trial. “They were very graphic,” he said of the videos and photos shown in court. “If we’re looking at it from one side, it was definitely riveting and eye-opening.”
He described scenes from so-called “freak-offs” and “hotel nights” that prosecutors claimed were part of Diddy’s pattern of exploitation. But from his view, the footage didn’t appear to show anything criminal. “There was sexual activity, but it wasn’t really… it didn’t seem forced,” he explained. “It was actually pretty tame. It was a lot of rubbing oil and stuff on there. It wasn’t anything too graphic.”
The juror added that both the prosecution and defense were “very selective” in the footage they presented, with the defense zeroing in on clips where Cassie didn’t appear to be engaging in any sexual activity during the events in question.
The outcome of the case has sparked mixed reactions, especially among those close to the alleged victims. Cassie Ventura’s lawyer, Douglas H. Wigdor, issued a statement through ABC News following the verdict, expressing that while the result wasn’t exactly what they hoped for, it still marked a meaningful step.
While Diddy may have sidestepped the biggest charges, the guilty verdict still hit hard—and with sentencing looming, this saga is far from over.
