Sean ‘Diddy' Combs' trial: The jury of eight men and four women who will decide rapper's fate revealed
Sean 'Diddy' Combs' federal trial began Monday after a jury of eight men and four women was seated.
The 12-person jury and six alternates was only finalised minutes before opening statements began in the disgraced music mogul's sex crimes case. Diddy's legal team was concerned about jurors getting cold feet over the weekend, and Judge Arun Subramanian agreed.
Jurors, who range in age from 24 to 74, were questioned during the week long voir dire process about Mike Myers, beliefs regarding infidelity and their taste in music as the defence and prosecution narrowed down the potential pool to 12.
Juror No. 2 is a massage therapist and actor from Manhattan. During the voir dire, the judge asked if he recognised any names from a 'people and places' list. The juror noted 'Michael B. Jordan' stood out as a recognised actor.
In addition, Juror No. 2 had some familiarity with domestic violence and indicated his sister was a victim of assault, but that his experience wouldn't interfere with his ability to be impartial.
Juror No. 5, an investment analyst from Manhattan County, learned about the case from news media reporting and admitted to viewing the Cassie Ventura hotel assault video footage.
Another juror seated, Juror No. 25, is a 61-year-old scientist and freelance graphic designer who was looking forward to getting a break from his 'serious work.' Juror No. 25 knew about Diddy as a 'business person' and was aware of 'violent behaviour.' He admitted to seeing the hallway video at the gym but had not formed an opinion about what he had seen.
Juror No. 28, a 30-year-old woman from the Bronx who works as a deli clerk, noted that she gets news by word of mouth and doesn't read magazines or papers. She was aware that Diddy was arrested but didn't know why until recently and would be able to follow instructions.
Multiple Bronx residents were picked to sit on the jury. Juror No. 58, a 41-year-old man who works as the head account clerk in corrections, said he enjoys '90s hip-hop and sports. Juror No. 184, a 39-year-old male, lives with his brother and is employed as a social worker program supervisor.
The youngest juror selected at 24 years old, Juror No. 321, works in coffee services and prefers reading news through social media.
Juror No. 55 was once ticketed for an open container and accidentally marked the wrong box indicating she knew about the allegations. When Subramanian heard about her prior ticket, he joked, 'Well, shame on you.'
Juror No. 75 retired from J.P. Morgan and lives in Westchester. He watches both Fox and CNN and prefers the Discovery Channel. A 43-year-old female who was also from Westchester was seated as Juror No. 160. Her husband is a software developer, while she works as a physician's assistant. Juror No. 116 said he would have a difficult time remaining impartial when looking at violence. While he previously viewed the Ventura hotel footage, he mentioned having a difficult time watching videos of skateboarders falling but thinks he can handle the videos.
Nothing could prevent Juror No. 217 from being impartial. The 74-year-old female from Manhattan likes classical music and art shows. She lives alone and used to be a treatment co-ordinator.
Both Juror No. 201, a 67-year-old man, and Juror No. 230, a 57-year-old man, have children and reside in Westchester County. Juror No. 234, a 34-year-old man who lives with his parents and sister in Manhattan, doesn't watch the news and prefers reading video game magazines.
Juror No. 247 loves to read and surf. The 40-year-old man from New York County is a physician scientist and has a master's degree and bachelor's degree in chemistry. Juror 292 mentioned she knew one location noted in the voir dire.
The final juror selected in Diddy's sex crimes case was Juror No. 330, a 37-year-old man from New York County who works with the U.S. State Department and prefers watching 'Andor' with his girlfriend, who works in the medical field.
For the voir dire process, the jurors were given a list of people and places and asked to note if they recognised any.
Comedian Mike Myers, Diddy's children – Justin and Christian Combs – Aubrey O'Day, actress Lauren London, actor Michael B. Jordan, musician Kid Cudi, Kanye West, singer Michelle Williams, Dawn Richards and Diddy's ex-girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, were among the names recognised by some of the potential jurors.
While it's unclear why some of the celebrities made this list, USA Today reported there is a scene in Myers' 'Austin Powers' that jokes about the disgraced rapper.
Diddy has been charged with racketeering conspiracy; sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion; and transportation to engage in prostitution in a federal indictment unsealed Sept. 17. He has maintained his innocence. If found guilty, he faces a minimum of 15 years behind bars or a maximum sentence of life in prison.
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