Latest news with #LosAngelesFireDepartment
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Cassie Ventura's stylist to finish testimony in Diddy trial
(NewsNation) — A former stylist for Casandra 'Cassie' Ventura will resume his testimony Thursday after telling jurors he had to jump on Sean 'Diddy' Combs' back to stop him from abusing Ventura when the two were dating. Celebrity stylist Deonte Nash worked for Combs from 2008 to 2018. He told jurors he was 'very close' to Ventura and learned about her relationship with Combs early in his employment. Nash testified to observing several abusive interactions. Nash also corroborated Ventura's testimony that Combs frequently beat and tormented her. Combs would threaten to hinder Ventura's fledgling music career and said he'd ruin her reputation by releasing recordings of their sexual encounters, Nash said. Nash discussed a particular incident around 2014 in which Combs allegedly grabbed Ventura by the hair and yanked her off the couch before beginning to hit her. Stylist says Cassie confided that Sean 'Diddy' Combs pressured her into sex marathons The stylist said he was at Ventura's apartment, helping her pack for a music festival, when Combs stormed in, grabbed her by the hair and beat her repeatedly. Nash said he jumped on Combs' back in an attempt to get him to stop, but Combs bucked and threw him to the ground. Combs resumed hitting Ventura, who'd fled to a bedroom with Nash and another friend, knocking her head into the edge of the bed frame and causing a large, bloody gash above her eye, the witness said. 'Look what y'all made me do,' Combs said, according to Nash. The stylist said he noticed 'a lot' of blood coming from a cut on Ventura's head from the beating. Jurors were shown photos of the injury. Prosecutor Maurene Comey said she expects 'Mia' — listed as 'Victim-4' in the indictment and one of Combs's former employees — to be called to the stand Thursday. Diddy's defense team filed a motion for mistrial after a Los Angeles Fire Department investigator admitted evidence was destroyed without permission following the arson on Kid Cudi's car in 2012. Cudi, whose legal name is Scott Mescudi, had been dating Ventura. Combs' attorney Marc Agnifilo called it 'outrageous,' implying that 'someone here' had something to do with the improper destruction of evidence. Judge Arun Subramanian denied the motion and told the jurors to dismiss the related testimony. Jiminez, who has been with the LAFD since 2003, was called to Cudi's residence after the rapper's Porsche was lit on fire. R&B singer Cassie gives birth to third child as Sean 'Diddy' Combs sex trafficking trial continues Jiminez said a Molotov cocktail appeared to have been used to ignite Mescudi's vehicle, but it did not explode due to a malfunction; however, the damage can be quite extensive if it had gone off, he explained. Chris Ignacio, a 16-year veteran of the Los Angeles Police Department, took the stand Wednesday. He was the officer who took the call Dec. 22, 2011, when Combs allegedly broke into Mescudi's Hollywood Hills home. The police officer corroborated Cudi's testimony that some Christmas presents were opened. Ignacio said he and his partner noticed a Black Escalade drive by twice. The second time, he said he ran the plates and found it was registered to Bad Boy Productions, Combs' music label. The police officer filed a trespassing report — it was not reported as a burglary because no items were stolen, he said — and said he was not told of any death threats. The Associated Press contributed to this story. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
USA Today
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Diddy trial updates: Deonte Nash back on the stand after alleging Sean Combs beat Cassie
Diddy trial updates: Deonte Nash back on the stand after alleging Sean Combs beat Cassie Show Caption Hide Caption Former stylist for Cassie testifies of more alleged abuse by Combs Deonte Nash, a friend and stylist of Cassie Ventura Fine, testified in Sean "Diddy" Combs' federal trial of more alleged abuse by Combs against Fine. This story contains graphic descriptions that some readers may find disturbing. A friend and stylist of Cassie Ventura Fine, a Los Angeles police officer and an arson investigator for the Los Angeles Fire Department, testified May 28 in Sean "Diddy" Combs' federal trial. Deonte Nash said Combs tried to control all aspects of Ventura Fine's life during their decade-long relationship, from her music to her social circle and more. "It drove her crazy. She would cry," Nash, who also worked as a stylist with Combs, told jurors. Nash also testified that the former hip-hop mogul threatened to repeatedly beat her, including bashing her head on a bed frame. Nash will finish his testimony in court May 29. Earlier on May 28, prosecutors also questioned two emergency officials on allegations that Combs broke into fellow rapper Kid Cudi's home and a separate incident that saw Kid Cudi's Porsche explode in his driveway. Combs, 55, was arrested in September 2024 and charged with sex trafficking, racketeering and transportation to engage in prostitution. He has pleaded not guilty. Combs is facing federal sex-crimes and trafficking charges in a sprawling lawsuit that has eroded his status as a power player and kingmaker in the entertainment industry. He was arrested in September 2024 and has been charged with racketeering, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution. Racketeering is the participation in an illegal scheme under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Statute, or RICO, as a way for the U.S. government to prosecute organizations that contribute to criminal activity. Using RICO law, which is typically aimed at targeting multi-person criminal organizations, prosecutors allege that Combs coerced victims, some of whom they say were sex workers, through intimidation and narcotics to participate in "freak offs" — sometimes dayslong sex performances that federal prosecutors allege they have video of. The trial will not be televised, as cameras are typically not allowed in federal criminal trial proceedings. USA TODAY will be reporting live from the courtroom. Sign up for our newsletter for more updates. Contributing: USA TODAY staff; Reuters If you are a survivor of sexual assault, RAINN offers support through the National Sexual Assault Hotline at (4673) and and en Español If you or someone you know is a victim of domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or text "START" to 88788.
South Wales Guardian
3 days ago
- South Wales Guardian
US judge rejects mistrial request from Combs' lawyers
The music mogul's lawyers said prosecutors tried to imply to a jury that he interfered with the investigation into rapper Kid Cudi's firebombed Porsche in 2012. Although such mistrial requests are common during lengthy federal trials involving hundreds of pieces of evidence and dozens of witnesses, this was the first request at Combs' trial, which is in its third week of testimony in Manhattan. Combs has been active in his defence, regularly writing notes to his lawyers, and they have consulted with him as they questioned witnesses. Judge Arun Subramanian instructed the jury to disregard testimony about the destruction of fingerprint cards that occurred months after Cudi's car was set ablaze. Weeks before that firebombing, Combs became enraged when he learned that Cudi was dating Cassie, the singer who had a nearly 11-year relationship with Combs from 2007 to 2018. The Molotov cocktail used to burn Cudi's car in his Hollywood Hills driveway was fashioned out of a 40-ounce Old English 800 malt liquor bottle and a designer handkerchief, according to Lance Jimenez, an arson investigator for the Los Angeles Fire Department, and photographs shown in court. The defence's mistrial request came after Mr Jimenez testified that fingerprints taken from Cudi's burned Porsche 911 were destroyed in August 2012, about eight months after the fire. Mr Jimenez said someone in the Los Angeles Police Department who was not involved in the investigation ordered the fingerprint cards destroyed. He said that was not normal protocol. Combs, 55, has pleaded not guilty to charges that he led a racketeering conspiracy for 20 years that relied on fear and violence to get what he wanted. If convicted, he could face 15 years to life in prison. Cassie and other witnesses have testified that she was repeatedly beaten by Combs, and she said she was frequently coerced to engage in unwanted sex acts. Defence attorney Alexandra Shapiro asked for the mistrial during a morning break with the jury out of the room. She told Judge Subramanian that 'prosecutorial misconduct' had occurred and said 'there's no way to unring this bell'. She said prosecutors were on notice during jury selection that some prospective jurors had to be eliminated from consideration for the jury because they believed Combs could buy his way out of the racketeering conspiracy he is charged with. 'These questions were designed to play right into that,' she said. Defence lawyer Marc Agnifilo called the prosecution's conduct 'outrageous'. Combs' lawyers argued that the prosecution's questions and Mr Jimenez's resulting testimony was highly prejudicial because prosecutors were suggesting that Combs had something to do with the destruction of the records. Assistant US attorney Christy Slavik said 'a mistrial is absolutely unwarranted here'. She said the subject of fingerprints was raised to counter defence suggestions through questions posed to other witnesses that the car firebombing was poorly investigated and that the area was not canvassed for fingerprints. Later, a friend of Cassie gave evidence that the singer was content celebrating her 29th birthday with drinks, drugs and karaoke with friends but her boyfriend, Combs, had a different idea. The hip-hop mogul insisted on taking Cassie to a Los Angeles hotel for another of his 'freak-off' sex marathons, her friend and former stylist said. Deonte Nash told jurors that he saw the temperamental Combs berating Cassie as she pleaded for him to let her enjoy her birthday on her own terms. Later that night, Mr Nash said that Cassie told the stylist, 'I don't want to freak-off,' but that she had to because Combs was making her. Mr Nash testified that the 2015 conversation was one of several times Cassie confided to him that she did not want to engage in Combs' drug-fuelled hotel encounters. Earlier in the trial, Cassie testified that these often involved Combs watching, directing and sometimes filming her as she had sex with a male sex worker. She said she engaged in hundreds of such encounters during her nearly 11-year relationship with Combs from 2007 to 2018. Mr Nash said he remains close with Cassie, even advising her on her trial wardrobe. He said he contacted her on Tuesday to congratulate her on the birth of her third child. Along with shedding light on Cassie's feelings about freak-offs, M Nash also corroborated her testimony that Combs frequently beat and tormented her. Combs would threaten to hinder Cassie's fledgling music career and said he would ruin her reputation by releasing recordings of their sexual encounters, Mr Nash said. The stylist said he was at Cassie's apartment, helping her pack for a music festival, when Combs stormed in, grabbed her by the hair, pulled her off a couch and hit her repeatedly. Mr Nash said he jumped on Combs' back in an attempt to get him to stop but Combs bucked and threw him to the ground. Combs resumed attacking Cassie, who fled to a bedroom with Mr Nash and another friend, knocking her head into the edge of the bed frame and causing a large, bloody gash above her eye, the witness said. 'Look what y'all made me do,' Combs said, according to Mr Nash.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Prosecutors Drop Photos of Kid Cudi's Firebombed Porsche in Diddy Trial
Kid Cudi testified on Thursday, May 22, in Sean 'Diddy' Combs' federal trial He said his Porsche was destroyed by a Molotov cocktail in 2012, while prosecutors allege Diddy ordered the attack out of jealousy Prosecutors released shocking photos of Cudi's vehicleDuring the third week of Sean "Diddy" Combs' high-profile federal sex trafficking and racketeering trial, prosecutors introduced graphic photographs showing the aftermath of a Molotov cocktail attack on rapper Kid Cudi's blue Porsche, an incident Cudi testified that Combs was behind. The images, now part of the official trial exhibits, show extensive fire damage to the vehicle, items believed to have been used in the attack, and the emergency response outside Cudi's Hollywood Hills home in January 2012. Los Angeles Fire Department arson investigator Lance Jimenez testified that the device was assembled using an Olde English 800 bottle, gasoline, a designer handkerchief and a lighter. The items were later tested for DNA, Jimenez said, but only the malt liquor bottle yielded results. A partial DNA profile consistent with a female contributor was identified, he said, though he acknowledged that he had no expertise in testing or analysis. Jimenez said he observed a cut in the canvas roof of Cudi's Porsche with burn patterns throughout the seats, the center console, the interior roofing and some of the carpet. Jimenez also testified he believed that someone targeted the sports car, noting it was not easily visible from the street in an affluent neighborhood with low crime activity, and another car parked in the driveway at the time was not harmed. Jimenez added that the bottle was discovered in the front seat of the car, consistent with accounts previously given by Kid Cudi, whose real name is Scott Mescudi. His testimony on May 22 followed previous claims by Casandra "Cassie" Ventura that Combs had expressed jealousy over her connection to the rapper. Mescudi took the witness stand shortly before 11 a.m. local time, with Combs staring straight ahead and avoiding any eye contact with the musician as he entered the packed courtroom. Speaking to jurors during his nearly 90 minutes of testimony last week, Mescudi claimed his romance with Ventura started after she told him she and Combs 'had some problems' and 'weren't dating anymore.' Mescudi said he was 'really confused' when Ventura called him in a panic one morning in December 2011 to say Combs had discovered their relationship. 'She sounded really stressed on the phone, nervous, scared,' he recalled. He went to pick her up and took her to the Sunset Marquis hotel. 'I just thought it was safe and just wanted to put her somewhere where she was off the radar,' he testified. Later, when Mescudi learned that Combs was at his house, he said that he raced back home and called Combs from his car. 'Mother----, are you in my house?' Mescudi claimed he repeatedly asked Combs. 'I'm here,' Combs allegedly replied. 'I'm over here waiting for you.' According to Mescudi, Combs had fled his house by the time he arrived. Still, he testified there were signs someone had broken in. Holiday gifts from Chanel were opened and left in the kitchen and his dog was found locked in a bathroom and traumatized. A couple of weeks later, he said that his dog sitter called to say his sports car was on fire. Mescudi testified that someone had sliced the car's convertible roof and dropped a Molotov cocktail inside on the driver's side, while jurors saw photos of the damaged Porsche with red leather interior scorched from the flames. Cudi said he believed Combs to be responsible. Mescudi testified he believed the music mogul "was lying" when Diddy claimed not to know what he was talking about when asked about the car explosion during a meeting at the Soho House in Los Angeles with Ventura. In response, Combs' defense team asked the court to strike Mescudi's testimony, arguing it is speculative and prejudicial as a "witness generally cannot testify that in his opinion, a declarant was lying when making a statement" and further claimed the testimony was "mere speculation," and poses "significant dangers of unfair prejudice" against Combs. The newly released images the jury witnessed today also capture the emergency response by firefighters at the scene. Prosecutors have introduced additional exhibits as part of their case, though not all materials have been identified publicly. While prosecutors continue to build their case around what they allege is a broader pattern of violence and intimidation from Combs, Mescudi's testimony and new exhibits mark yet another series of bombshell revelations about Combs' alleged jealous rage and psychological abuse of Ventura, who has claimed the rapper controlled her life for 11 years. The Bad Boy Records founder is currently facing charges of sex trafficking, racketeering and transportation to engage in prostitution, which he has adamantly denied. If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to Read the original article on People
1News
3 days ago
- 1News
Judge quickly rejects mistrial request at Sean 'Diddy' Combs trial
A federal judge immediately rejected a defence request for a mistrial on Thursday at the sex trafficking trial of Sean 'Diddy' Combs, after his attorneys said prosecutors tried to imply to a jury that the music mogul interfered with the investigation into rapper Kid Cudi's firebombed Porsche in 2012. Although such mistrial requests are common during lengthy federal trials involving hundreds of pieces of evidence and dozens of witnesses, this was the first request at Combs' trial, which is in its third week of testimony in Manhattan. Combs has been active in his defence, regularly writing notes to his lawyers, and they have consulted with him as they questioned witnesses. Judge Arun Subramanian instructed the jury to disregard testimony about the destruction of fingerprint cards that occurred months after Cudi's car was set ablaze. Weeks before that firebombing, Combs became enraged when he learned that Cudi was dating Cassie, the singer who had a nearly 11-year relationship with Combs from 2007 to 2018. The Molotov cocktail used to burn Cudi's car in his Hollywood Hills driveway was fashioned out of a 40-ounce Old English 800 malt liquor bottle and a designer handkerchief, according to Lance Jimenez, an arson investigator for the Los Angeles Fire Department, and photographs shown in court. The defence's mistrial request came after Jimenez testified that fingerprints taken from Cudi's burned-up Porsche 911 were destroyed in August 2012, about eight months after the fire. Jimenez said someone in the Los Angeles Police Department who was not involved in the investigation ordered the fingerprint cards destroyed. He said that was not normal protocol. ADVERTISEMENT Combs, 55, has pleaded not guilty to charges that he led a racketeering conspiracy for 20 years that relied on fear and violence to get what he wanted. If convicted, he could face 15 years to life in prison. Cassie and other witnesses have testified that she was repeatedly beaten by Combs, and she said she was frequently coerced to engage in unwanted sex acts. Defence attorney Alexandra Shapiro asked for a mistrial during a morning break with the jury out of the room. She told Subramanian that 'prosecutorial misconduct' had occurred and said 'there's no way to un-ring this bell.' She said prosecutors were on notice during jury selection that some prospective jurors had to be eliminated from consideration for the jury because they believed Combs could buy his way out of the racketeering conspiracy he's charged with. 'These questions were designed to play right into that,' she said. Defence lawyer Marc Agnifilo called the prosecution's conduct 'outrageous.' Combs' lawyers argued that the prosecution's questions and Jimenez's resulting testimony were highly prejudicial because prosecutors were suggesting that Combs had something to do with the destruction of the records. Assistant US Attorney Christy Slavik said 'a mistrial is absolutely unwarranted here'. She said the subject of fingerprints was raised to counter defence suggestions through questions posed to other witnesses that the car firebombing was poorly investigated and that the area was not canvassed for fingerprints.
