Catch up on the Sean ‘Diddy' Combs trial so far
The federal trial of the United States of America v. Sean 'Diddy' Combs has captured much of the world's attention in its first four weeks in session.
The prosecution is continuing to present its case, where it is seeking to prove Combs and some in his inner circle constituted a criminal enterprise that used threats, violence, kidnapping and other means to coerce women into 'Freak Offs' with male escorts and to protect his image.
Combs has pleaded not guilty to charges of racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution. His defense has acknowledged Combs was violent but has questioned the motives of those testifying and has said the accusations fall short of the charges. If convicted on all counts, Combs could face up to life in prison.
Here is what we've learned in testimony at this point in the trial, which is expected to continue on for several more weeks.
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CNN
21 minutes ago
- CNN
Catch up on the Sean ‘Diddy' Combs trial so far
The federal trial of the United States of America v. Sean 'Diddy' Combs has captured much of the world's attention in its first four weeks in session. The prosecution is continuing to present its case, where it is seeking to prove Combs and some in his inner circle constituted a criminal enterprise that used threats, violence, kidnapping and other means to coerce women into 'Freak Offs' with male escorts and to protect his image. Combs has pleaded not guilty to charges of racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution. His defense has acknowledged Combs was violent but has questioned the motives of those testifying and has said the accusations fall short of the charges. If convicted on all counts, Combs could face up to life in prison. Here is what we've learned in testimony at this point in the trial, which is expected to continue on for several more weeks.
Yahoo
35 minutes ago
- Yahoo
With serious issues, should the Oklahoma County jail trust dissolve? One group thinks so.
Bed bugs. Neglect. Beatings. Rapes. Overdoses. Deaths. The list of horrific conditions and longstanding issues alleged by concerned citizens and former detainees at the Oklahoma County jail could seemingly go on forever. But as a group of reform-minded activists and grieving families continue their calls for a local trust's oversight of the jail to end, they fear their concerns might be falling on deaf ears. The protest, organized by the People's Council for Justice Reform, was sparsely attended Saturday morning, with only two dozen people overall showing up in front of the Oklahoma County jail. But the outrage and frustration of the attendees was palpable, and their demands were clear. 'Our priorities are wrong in this county, and our priorities need to change,' People's Council organizer Mark Faulk said through a megaphone in front of the jail. 'They need to dissolve that jail trust and do it now, and put the sheriff back in control of (the jail).' Broken Trust: How the Oklahoma County jail leadership failed those it sought to protect The troubled facility at 201 N Shartel Ave — long plagued with issues of overcrowding, civil rights violations, and in-custody deaths — has been a frequent subject of criticism by the group. In recent years, oversight of the Oklahoma County Detention Center was taken over by a trust of civic leaders in the hope that conditions would improve. That hasn't panned out, the People's Council argue, citing ongoing problems of inadequate staffing, frequent health inspection failures, and five dozen deaths since the jail trust took over in 2020. Now, the group is advocating that the trustees vote to dissolve themselves in the coming weeks and relinquish control of the jail back to the sheriff's office. In past interviews with The Oklahoman, Sheriff Tommie Johnson III has admitted it's not something he would want to do but said, should that happen, he would fulfill his obligations as best he can. 'We would recommend that the sheriff maintain a citizen's advisory committee so that he could be held accountable, but he's an elected official, so at least we can vote him out' if constituents are dissatisfied, Faulk said. More: Panel issues first recommendations for troubled Oklahoma County Jail Several of the people at the protest Saturday were intimately familiar with the jail's issues. Some had spent time in the facility, while others counted their own loved ones among the death toll. 'The conditions in the county jail are deplorable,' local resident Milissa Lucas said. 'I don't know anyone currently in there, but my father was in prison for most of my childhood, so I have some strong feelings about the penal system.' But Debra Stanton did know someone who spent time in the jail. Her own son, Derek Strother, was found unresponsive in his cell and pronounced dead on Feb. 26, 2024. According to an autopsy report, Stanton's son died from an accidental overdose of fentanyl. 'I want answers, I want some closure, and not one person from the trust sat down with me to talk to me,' Stanton said. 'I'm not going away. I have grandchildren who live in this Oklahoma area, and I damn sure don't want them to end up in here ever. They need to make changes. These are people we're talking about.' Volare Kirven, a retired hospice worker living in Atlanta, teared up as she recounted the death of her 26-year-old son Dina Latrell Kirven on April 8, 2023. He was found unresponsive inside a holding cell in the jail's booking area, dead of a fentanyl overdose, too, according to the medical examiner. Latrell Kirven had been booked into the jail on an unauthorized use of motor vehicle complaint only hours before. His mother, who's filed a lawsuit against the county, says she no longer celebrates the Easter holiday due to the circumstances of his death. 'Just like anybody nowadays, he did have demons he was trying to fight, and we started doing family virtual counseling through Red Rock, but he was just with the wrong person that night,' Volare Kirven said. 'I didn't get a phone call from (the jail) — my phone call came from St. Anthony's. And I asked for answers, and I kept getting the runaround.' More: Oklahoma County jail trust lumbers on despite leadership vacuum Volare Kirven, who grew up in Oklahoma City before eventually moving away, is very active civically in Atlanta, but she said she's worried by how little she believes the general public seems to be involved in criminal justice issues. 'More people need to get involved,' she said. 'They all show up for these Thunder games. They'll show up for these R&B festivals. You will show up to the park, you will show up to the car shows, but when it comes to saving lives and making different changes, you don't show up for that? That's not okay, and that has to change.' Local voters in 2022 approved a $260 million bond to fund construction of a new jail, but county officials face numerous challenges in replacing the current facility. Aside from ongoing and contentious disputes about where exactly a new jail will be located, recent estimates also showed that the new project could actually cost closer to $677 million. This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Activist group calls for dissolution of Oklahoma County jail trust
Yahoo
35 minutes ago
- Yahoo
People Who Were Kidnapped Are Sharing What Happened And How They Survived, And Holy Crap
Recently, I came across this Reddit thread where u/ZeusDX1118 asked "People who've been kidnapped, how did you survive?" Here's what people shared: 1."It was 1988. I was kidnapped way before my memories formed, so this is all from my parents and the police report. Basically, a lady in the nursing ward decided to give me a 'spicy adoption' by hiding me in some sheets and taking me out of the hospital. She was tracked down a few days later, and I was handed back to my parents. She didn't mistreat me. Apparently, I was a healthy, normal child, and she even bought the expensive stuff in order to take care of me. I got to meet her in my teens. I asked her, 'Why me?' and it was because my family hadn't done the paperwork for me correctly, so I was easier to slip out and potentially give her more time to disappear with me. If you have more questions, feel free to reply to the message, and I'll answer them." —None 2."I was kidnapped when I was 7. It was by a very person addicted to drugs, a family member, who told me he was bringing me out for ice cream. He left me on a bench outside a bar when the bartender told him he couldn't bring kids in. It was a dirty biker bar in Las Vegas during the 90s. I was young, scared, and didn't fully comprehend the situation. I was confused why we didn't go to an ice cream shop. The family member came out with two men who fully terrified me. One of them touched my curly, bright red hair and smiled widely. I remember not knowing what to do, so I started singing Joan Osborne's 'What if god was one of us?' They got freaked when I wouldn't stop singing and walked back into the bar. I was definitely a weird kid, but scream singing as self-defense was kind of smart." "I was left alone on the bench again when a man walked up and asked me where my parents were. I told him I didn't get ice cream and wanted to go back to my mom, but my family member wouldn't let me. He walked into the bar but came out just a minute later and sat with me until the police arrived. Twenty years later, my mom saw that family member for the first time. He was on end-of-life hospice care but made it to another family member's funeral. When everyone was filtering out, he was waiting on the bus home when my mom punched him in the face. I love my mom." —None 3."I was kidnapped at gunpoint along with my younger brother and my early-twenties mother when I was in kindergarten. My father, 40 years old, hadn't taken the divorce well and already had some psychiatric illness, so he forced us all into his truck and drove us from California to Mexico. At the time, my parents told us kids that we were taking a family trip. I remember the drive, shopping in a street market, and being greeted by the flashing lights of police cars when we eventually returned to the States. The police were nice and let us sit in the police car! I remember being excited about that." —sensualcephalopod 4."A cousin of mine was kidnapped as a baby by his aunt and uncle and taken to Australia and raised as their very own child. The kid was born to a middle-income family in a third-world country. My cousin's father's brother was a wealthy man in Australia who had spent the previous year living back home. He and his wife, who could not have children, plotted to visit the new baby and claim him as their own, with the father of the child aiding them in the kidnapping. The baby was taken from the mother in the middle of the night (they drugged her) and flown to Australia, where the uncle and aunt claimed the child was theirs." "This happened in the late 90s, so I'm not sure how they did it, but regardless, the child was never returned to the mother. They ended up telling her where the child was but threatened to have her put in prison and the child up for adoption if she ever spoke out, so she never did. My cousin was raised until 17 years old with his false family until he found the truth by reconnecting with his mother through Facebook. When he turned 18, he confronted his real parents, and they admitted everything. The next day, he moved out and flew 12 hours to meet his new family. Really messed up story. The kid is a great dude, tho." —mariokart890 Related: Your Wand, Your Way — The More You Customize, The More Magical The Results Will Be 5."A friend of mine was kidnapped on his paper route. The kidnappers/robbers wanted his van to commit a robbery. They handcuffed him, put a bag over his head, and left him in the back of the van during the robbery. When they were done, they told him to count to 100 before he got up and took off the mask. Pretty wild." —strangesandwich 6."My grandmother's brother was kidnapped and held for ransom. He's a successful businessman. He was held at gunpoint in the parking lot of his office building. It was in the papers and everything. It was a month before the kidnappers even made contact with the family to make their demands. These guys were pros; they've done this before and did their research. They knew exactly how much he was worth. It was really tough for us. From his accounts, they never physically harmed him, but he was kept in a dark room the entire time and fed sandwiches. Even got him his medication. Prayer and thinking of his family were the only things that got him through those three months." "In the end, they caught the guy on top of the operation, and they let him go. To say he was traumatized is an understatement. I've never seen a person so broken before. Couldn't even crack a smile." —ParkerZA 7."My parents were kidnapped at gunpoint by two dudes in New Orleans. They went out to dinner for their 1st wedding anniversary and were held up outside of the restaurant. They forced my parents into their car in the backseat, and they drove around for a while. Took everything from my parents: wedding rings, watch, and wallets. Apparently, some lady saw this take place and called 911 from a pay phone. Luckily, the two guys dropped my parents off and drove away. I don't think they were ever caught, though." —kingcakefucks Related: 30 Vocabulary Terms That Only People With An IQ Between 125–145 Can Define 8."When I was 12, somebody took me from a Target parking lot and put me in their trunk. Somebody saw and started driving after us. The guy stopped and ran away when he realized that people saw him. he stopped, and I got out." —Brandcrazultra 9."I was working alone at a gas station in my middle-of-nowhere town. A robber came in with a gun to rob the store and then kidnap me. He made me drive his Durango to the next exit, and we drove out a few miles when he dropped me off. I thought he was taking me out to execute me, but it was in reality to get me further from a phone. This was 1999, so cell phones were not popular. Took me a while to make it to the closest house where someone answered the door with a shotgun. He ended up helping me get hold of the sheriff." —auto_pHIGHlot 10."I was grabbed in a parking lot and pulled into the backseat of a car. I started kicking and screaming and flailing around. The passenger had a gun pointed at me, and I was trying to hit it out of his hand while the person in the backseat was trying to restrain me. I fought for my life. There was no thinking or anything, I just went straight to fight mode. They ended up stopping in a dark neighborhood and threw me out into the street. During all this they were calling me names and saying other shit but I don't really remember those details. I just remember fighting for my life and screaming." —None 11."I was kidnapped when I was 9, but I didn't even realize at the time. My school bus got stolen, and the guy drove around picking up random kids. We caught on and started yelling out the windows. The guy panicked and dropped us off at a school none of us went to. We told the secretary what happened, and a bunch of cops came." —imsothrough 12."One of the guy's girlfriends in the house found me and took pity on me. She snuck me out when they all went out drinking. She dropped me off at a corner gas station, and I think I ran the rest of the way home...I am not a runner by any means. I'll never forget stepping into the living room of my house that how terrified I was to sleep, so I slept in the bed with my mom." —sabineastroph 13."Technically, I was kidnapped by a fake cab driver in the nineties in London. I called a minicab company like a sensible 20-year-old, it being late and me being alone in a miniskirt. I wait outside the pub, the car turns up, and the driver says, 'Are you [my name]?' So I get in, he puts on the fare meter and off we drive, his company radio babbling in the background. A few minutes into this, the dispatcher starts talking to another cab driver over the radio, and the other cab driver on the radio says, 'That [my name] girl isn't at the Red Lion pub, someone said she got into another car. I look at his radio set up, his radio doesn't have a handset, just receives. Basically, this guy had bought a radio receiver to eavesdrop on the cab messages and poach their customers. So... I'm in the back of a total stranger's car now, no one knows this, and the car has taken an odd turn, not the route he should have taken to get to my block of flats." "I go cold. As luck would have it, the car gets caught by a red light and comes to a stop. I grab my bag and bail out of the door, throwing a balled up five at him as I go. The driver then swears a bit, and I bolt into the off-licence next to the lights. He has to drive off because there's traffic behind him a few seconds later. I walk home via populated areas. Hard to say if this was a sex offender or just someone poaching fares. I didn't wait to find out." —ukhoneybee 14."I was 6. I wandered away from my mom at a Value City (back when they sold clothes). I don't remember everything too clearly, but this man told me he would help me find my mom, and he took me to his car. Apparently, someone saw me crying and called the police, and the cops pulled him over. They arrested him. Not sure what happened to him." —Poopdicks69 finally, "I was kidnapped when I left work one night. We struggled briefly, but he forced his way into my car. He had a gun. He said he wanted me to go to the ATM and get money. I told him I didn't have any, but I could get some money from my work. After a short time, I just drove back to my work, got out of the car, and took my purse and car keys with me. Luckily, our security person was at the door when I walked in. I just completely broke down, and he took charge. He called the police, who got there really quickly. My kidnapper was waiting for me in my car to come back with the money. The police took him to jail." —Iwantbubbles If you were kidnapped and feel comfortable sharing your story, tell us in the comments or us the anonymous form below: Also in BuzzFeed: Since It's Pride Month, Let's Find Out How Well You Really Know These Iconic Modern LGBTQ Movies Also in BuzzFeed: I Just Designed The Most Magical Fairy Outfit Using This Renaissance Fair Generator, And I'm Dying To See What You'll Make Also in BuzzFeed: 19 Would-Be Murder Victims Are Sharing Their Encounters With Serial Killers, And I'm Never Sleeping Again
