Crime Stories with Nancy Grace - DIDDY SHOCK DEMAND: HIDE CASSIE V'S PREGNANT TUMMY FROM JURY

Episode Date: May 13, 2025

Cassie Ventura, ex-girlfriend of Sean "Diddy" Combs, took the stand as the prosecution's star witness against the rap mogul. Heavily pregnant, Ventura testified that her relationship with Combs ranged from good times to arguments and physical abuse. Before testimony began, the defense requested that she be seated before the jury entered, citing her condition. The judge denied the request, ruling there would be no special treatment. Ventura described how Combs' control over her increased during their relationship and detailed instances of physical abuse. In court, Combs appeared and acted like a different man. With no cameras allowed, reporters outside described his appearance—gray hair, pullover sweaters, and reading glasses. Whether it was a sign of stress or a legal strategy remains unclear. Combs was reportedly reading the Bible before testimony began, while his family prayed on the courthouse steps before Ventura took the stand. Follow Crime Stories with Nancy Grace daily for the latest in Sean "Diddy" Combs sex-trafficking trial.  Joining Nancy Grace today: Eric Faddis - Partner at Varner Faddis Elite Legal, Former Felony Prosecutor and Current Criminal Defense and Civil Litigation Attorney; Instagram: @e_fad @varnerfaddis; TikTok: @varnerfaddis Dr. Bethany Marshall-  Psychoanalyst, Author: "Deal Breaker," and featured in hit show "Paris in Love" on Peacock; Instagram & TikTok: drbethanymarshall, X: @DrBethanyLive Brian Fitzgibbons - VP of Operations for USPA Nationwide Security; Instagram: @uspa_nationwide_security, Kingsman Philanthropic's 2022 rescue missions of women and children in Ukraine, Iraq War Veteranide_security Brett Brown - Executive director of SASS Go (Surviving Assault Standing Strong) a nonprofit on a mission to eradicate abuse, trafficking and violence against women and girls globally; @sassgoglobal FB, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok Rob Shuter - Host: Naughty But Nice Podcast, Former Publicist of Sean Combs, and Author: "The 4 Word Answer;" IG: @naughtygossip Lauren Conlin - Investigative Journalist, Host of The Outlier Podcast, and also Host of "Corruption: What Happened to Grant Solomon; X- @Conlin_Lauren/ Instagram- @LaurenEmilyConlin/YouTube- @LaurenConlin4 Angelica Martinez-Servigna - CrimeOnline Investigative Reporter Sydney Sumner - CrimeOnline Investigative Reporter  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an iHeart Podcast. Crime Stories with Nancy Grace. A ditty shock demand. Hide victim Cassie Ventura's pregnant tummy from the jury? Really? I'm Nancy Grace. This is Crime Stories. Thank you for being with us.

Cassie Ventura on the stand in a court of law in the criminal trial of Sean Combs, a.k.a. Diddy. And what is that I'm hearing? Oh, yeah, it's a death knell. Joining me from the courthouse is Lauren Conlon in the courtroom throughout the day. Lauren, first of all, let's just start chronologically to Cassie Ventura taking the stand. They did a long lead up to her to put her on the stand. Tell me, how was the jury responding to her testimony? Cassie did get to the point where she discussed the psychological abuse as well as the physical abuse that she received from Diddy. And the jury was listening intently. And it's also interesting because Sean Combs seems to be pretty stoic throughout this. Now, one thing that also seems to be present throughout her testimony is how

much Cassie actually loved him at one point. So I, I believe that they are going to move on and start really focusing on the abuse, but so far it's, it's been tough. It's been hard for everybody. And Cassie herself has needed some moments to wipe her nose, take some breaths. She does appear very, very sad and very, very somber. And as you know, very pregnant. You know, it's really interesting, Lauren Cullen, that one of the first things that Sean Combs' $10 million defense team did was demand that she be seated in the witness seat before the jury came in so they could not see her baby belly.

What happened? Well, they had been discussing this previously about how pregnant she looked and the fact that maybe the jury could feel sympathy for her. So yeah, she was brought in first and then the jury was brought in. You know, earlier this morning, just before they broke for lunch, Cassie Ventura described how free costs actually became a job lasting 36 to 48 hours, the longest one lasting up to four days. No wonder the participants needed IV fluids after a freak-off. I'm just curious, to Lauren Cullen joining us at the courthouse, how was the jury responding? What I will say is Cassie made a point to say that when she wasn't making music, she was actually having to, quote, recover from these freak offs.

And again, she did say these freak offs lasted between one and four days and it would take her an equal amount of time to get her body recovered, to rehydrate, to rest, to detox from these drugs. It was really, really sad to listen to. Joining us, an all star panel to make sense of what we are learning. Also, Lauren Conlon, we are learning that the defense made an argument to the jury through their cross-examination and in their opening statements that the victims in this case were, quote, strong women that had millions of reasons to stay in the relationship with Sean Combs. In other words, that is a peek into what their cross-examination is going to be of Cassie Ventura trying to state that she wanted to be in the relationship. She was a willing participant in the relationship and she got a lot of money from Sean Combs.

Do you see that going anywhere? And she got a lot of money from Sean Combs. Do you see that going anywhere? Do you recall that was part of their opening statements? Yes, it was part of their opening statements. They made a point to say that these women are all in control of their lives. The other, Jane, she is a single mom. They said she makes decisions, you know, for her children and for her family. So she could easily get out of this relationship. But what I do think was interesting, Nancy, is during Cassie's testimony, she said that Sean Combs did pay for a number of her homes, but she paid for a home,

a home that she had in Studio City. And she was thrilled that she could finally pay for a home. And she wasn't tethered to Sean Comms. She had something of her own. So I thought this was really interesting. You know, it made us realize that she wasn't heavily reliant on him. She did want to separate from him. He was just making it incredibly difficult to do so. Guys, the argument is going to be made to the jury not to believe Cassie Ventura now on the stand throughout the afternoon. The jury listening intently to everything she has to say and to you, Sydney Sumner, joining us, also covering the case from the very beginning, Crime Stories investigative reporter. She made quite the impression when she walked into that courtroom, even though Sean Combs

had at one point demanded the jury not be exposed to her pregnant stomach. Describe what she looked like, Sydney. Nancy, today Cassie's wearing a bodycon, a tight turtleneck brown dress to really show off that baby bump. So the jury is very interested in her. Combs actually turned around in his seat to watch her as she crossed the room to the witness stand. Cassie is very obviously about to pop. She's eight and a half months pregnant. So that's very clear, especially in her outfit today.

Speaking of the attack on Cassie Ventura, who, as you all know, cracked this case wide open, much of her civil complaint against Sean Combs as a result of the Cassie beatdown video obtained from the Intercontinental Hotel is going to be mirrored in the criminal case. The defense is going to turn that around, turn it on its ear and claim that Cassie Ventura is only in this because she wants money. But remember, her civil case has already settled. There's no money in this for her at this juncture. That civil case is over. And the defense is arguing something very insidious. Listen. Garagos also insists the women the government claims Combs exploited were absolutely there willingly. Garagos says the women who will take the stand against Combs were strong,

capable, and in love with the man they now call their abuser. Garagos points out that Cassie stayed for 10 years. Garagos says while everyone may agree that Combs was a bad boyfriend, he did not force women to be with him. Garagos suggests that Combs' abusers have several million reasons to come forward now, all of them money. A bad boyfriend? I'm so glad they said that in opening statements. I'm so glad that they reduced the state's case down and everything these victims have to say to Sean Combs being a bad boy. Oh, there it is again. The defense actually said this is all about Sean Combs being a bad boyfriend. Well, a multi-count federal indictment says something very different. Dr. Bethany Marshall joining us, psychoanalyst out of L.A., author of Deal Breakers.

She's on Peacock now, and you can find her at DrBethanyMarshall.com. Dr. Bethany, a bad boyfriend, that's certainly putting perfume on the pig. You know, Nancy, didn't they say in opening that there was domestic violence, but that's not what he was on trial for? And now they reduce it down to him being a bad boyfriend. Of course, she was there for 10 years. On average, it takes a woman nine attempts at leaving an abuser before she's finally able to get away. And Nancy, in that riveting testimony today, she said Sean Combs controlled every part of her life, not only making her plan the part of

the freak offs, he controlled her look, her social life, who she could see, her psychological well-being. She was well trained to always worry about what he thought about her. And she also said he was highly critical. Imagine that she did everything for him and he could do nothing but beat her and criticize her. Hmm. That's not a bad boyfriend. That's worse. Now joining us at the courthouse, Angelica Martinez-Servina, CrimeOnline.com investigative reporter. You know, when Cassie Ventura came into the courtroom,

Angelica, all eyes on Cassie, including Sean Combs. Now, when earlier witnesses were on the stand, specifically the stripper, the sex worker that he paid to urinate into Cassie's mouth. And she described how she choked on it, actually choked, thought she was choking, but was willing to do anything to keep Sean Combs happy and to placate him and avoid a violent outburst. Opposed to the way he acted when the sex worker came on the stand. This is rare for Combs.

He turned all the way in his chair. Grandpa turned around. I'm surprised he doesn't have a motorized scooter because he's let his hair go white. He's dressed up in a turtleneck. I mean, a pullover sweater again and looking like everybody's favorite grandpa. But he turned around to watch her walk in the room. Now, he's given a lot of steely gazes at witnesses on the stand. I'm very interested in the fact that he broke protocol and watched her turn around and watched her walk in along with the jury.

Crime Stories with Nancy Grace. Joining me as a special guest is Brett Brown. Joining us out of Lexington, Kentucky. Executive Director, SASS, Surviving Assault, Standing Strong. Brett, you heard Dr. Bethany speaking earlier about the fact that some

of these women stayed in the relationship when they could have, you know, from an outside looking in, have left. That's what the defense is. This is not a sex trafficking case. There was no sex trafficking. These women were here willingly. You know, all the years, nine years, I worked as a volunteer at the Better Women's Center on the hotlines. I understood the theory behind why women stay, but I could never really grasp it. Here, Cassie Ventura feared her whole career would go down the drains, down the drain that Combs would destroy her or kill her if she tried to leave. Absolutely. Fear was a huge motivating factor in Casey's case, Cassie, excuse me. And it is amazing to me that in the same sentence, the defense will describe

Sean Combs as a violent drug user and then say women were willing participants and wanted to stay in the relationship because drugs and violence do not a willing participant make. If fear is in the room, consent is not. And Cassie during that time was out of choices because this was a man with seemingly unlimited power and willing to use it to do whatever it takes to get what he wants. I think if I really boiled this down, the defense called Sean Combs a complicated man. He's not. He is a vile, greedy abuser who is incredibly insecure and he should be because leaders have followers who want to be there. He could not manage it. He uses force. And when he used force with Cassie,

she saw him for what he really is and he hated her for it. And now we can see it too. Also, there is corroboration, which every defense attorney hates, corroboration to what Cassie Ventura is telling the jury about the beatings and the abuse she endured at the hands of Sean Combs, a.k.a. Diddy. There is a witness, and typically this type of abuse happens behind closed doors. But Sean Combs had become so arrogant, he allowed others to witness the beating. Straight back out to Lauren Cullen at the courthouse. Explain what we learned from Daniel Phillip. He witnessed Sean Combs allegedly hit Cassie

at one point, drag her by the hair while she's kicking and screaming and screaming, sorry, sorry, I'm sorry. And because of that, because of what he witnessed, he actually shared that he was unable to perform sexually after that for the couple. Also, we are learning from the evidence pouring from the witness stand. For those of you just joining us, state's witness, the star witness, not chronologically state's witness number one, but definitely the premier witness, Cassie Ventura, on the stand the entire day, heavily pregnant. although an original request that the jury not see her walk in so they couldn't see her pregnant stomach, that she be seated already when the jury was brought in. We know where the defense is coming from with that request, but we're learning a lot from the

testimony about what she endured, not just the Cassie Ventura beat down video from the Intercontinental Hotel, but more from a witness. Listen. Even though Ventura did not want to participate in the freak-offs, she knew what refusal meant, a brutal beating. Ventura eventually learned to stop resisting and was even asked to arrange some of the freak-offs herself. On top of the freak-offs herself.

On top of the threat of physical violence, Combs took it a step further with a promise to release videos of the encounters and publicly humiliate his girlfriend if she didn't keep up with the performances. Ventura felt that if she wanted to continue performing on stage, she also had to perform in her boyfriend's hotel room. Graphic testimony about a paid sex worker being asked to urinate into Cassie Ventura's mouth to Dr. Bethany Marshall. What is that? Isn't there an actual psychological reasoning, a psychological motivation behind that type of request? Yes. I think what P. Diddy was allegedly trying to do was to humiliate her and force her into submission by having another man have sex with her. One of the terms we use is cuckolding, which means just viewing your partner have sex with another individual. But he orchestrated every

aspect of their sexual encounter and would masturbate during it, allegedly. So he would tell the sex worker whether he should come inside her, should ejaculate on her, whether to urinate. It's like he was a film director, Nancy. And if he didn't please Sean Diddy Combs, if the sex worker didn't, then he would become abusive towards Cassie. There's one report that Cassie said on the stand. Oh, actually, the sex worker did that. Sean Combs was upset at her for her for her performance. So he took her into another room and the sex worker could hear him

slapping Cassie. And it's at that point, I believe, that the sex worker lost his ability to perform. Breaking now, the entire day, star witness Cassie Ventura on the stand and the state's case against Sean Combs, a multi-count federal indictment. You know, in the very beginning, we heard the prosecutor state that there were two ditties, that he was very complicated. I don't find it complicated at all. other ditty that took part in heinous beatings and bizarre sex acts, forcing women to take part in very demeaning and humiliating behavior. Straight back to Lauren Collins standing by at the courthouse. Lauren, weigh in. We were subjected to the infamous Cassie video, as was the jury, about three times.

At one point, we had to watch it frame by frame. It's more and more painful each time you watch it. And Sean Combs, he didn't flinch. He was stoic sitting throughout all of that. Now, towards the end of the day, when we heard the testimony of the male stripper or the male escort. It was incredibly graphic. Now, interesting. Thanks, Lauren.

Interesting. We heard the prosecutor laying the foundation for this in her opening statement. Listen. Johnson insists this trial is not about a celebrity's private sexual preferences, but Combs' use of company resources to sexually exploit women. Johnson says Cassie Ventura didn't know what she was signing up for when Combs first approached her about his freak-offs. But as she choked while an escort urinated into her mouth at Combs' direction, she quickly determined it was not

something she wanted to participate in again. Every member of that jury is going to think about Cassie Ventura choking on a sex worker's urine. And they're looking at this beautiful lady on the stand, a mother of three, now heavily pregnant, about to give birth. You know, it was so graphic, as a matter of fact, to Lauren Conlon. Is it true that Sean Combs' daughters got up and left the courtroom during the testimony? At one point, Diddy's daughters actually had to get up and leave the courtroom, and I don't blame them. I don't blame them either, Lauren Conlon. Straight out to special guest joining us, Rob Shooter, host of Naughty But Nice podcast, former publicist of Sean Combs.

Y'all write a book about that, but you're already the author of The Four Word Answer. Rob Shooter, thank you for being with us. We're talking about what the prosecutor said in the beginning of the case. Now, of course, Cassie Ventura has been on the stand all day. But Rob Shooter, she, the prosecutor, Emily Johnson, stated that there were two Sean Combs, the one that beats people, leaving knots on their heads, dragging them up and down halls, just performing all sorts of demeaning and humiliating acts on the women. But then there's the other Sean Combs, the star, the celebrity,

who's charming and gregarious. Did you see both sides of Combs when you worked for him as a public relations person? Yeah, Diddy's a very, very complicated person. He's very much in control. He controls his own narrative. He determines how he wants to be presented.

He determines what photographs he wants released of him. And so this is a celebrity who's very aware of manipulating his public image. He's done a really, really good job of convincing us that he is somebody that now we know isn't the truth. And so I think with Diddy, we all see one side of him for over what, two decades now. We think we know Diddy. He's that fun guy. Look at him partying. He's out. He throws great events. He's funny. We've seen him on talk shows where he's been witty and charming. Now we know that that isn't the truth. That Diddy, Diddy behind the scenes, the truth about Diddy is much, much more dark. You know, I want to circle back to you, but you sparked a thought in my mind. Back out to the courthouse with Lauren Collins standing by. Is it true that Sean Combs actually took out a Bible in front of the jury? Yeah, he appeared to be flipping through a Bible at one point.

He gave a thumbs up to his kids, waved and blew kisses at his mother. And he, yeah, he did seem to calm down after that. And when the jury walked in, I noticed that Diddy did not take his eyes off of them. It doesn't end there to Sidney Sumner also covering everything happening in the courtroom. Sidney Sumner, from what I understand, the Sean Combs family was in front of the courthouse praying and reading the Bible before court. Yes, Nancy, they were spotted in a circle holding hands with their head bowed in prayer just before Kathy took the stand. You know, Eric Faddis, veteran trial lawyer joining me out of Colorado, founding partner, Varner Faddis, elite legal former felony prosecutor.

I'm all for reading the Bible and I am all for being close to the Lord. But when it is used as a stunt, I mean, it's one thing to ask forgiveness. Of course, I'm certainly no biblical scholar, right? It's one thing to ask for forgiveness. Of course, I'm certainly no biblical scholar, right? It's one thing to ask for forgiveness, but it's another thing to ask for our Holy Father to get our ass out of a sling, technical legal term. I mean, it's a ploy, Faddis, a ploy. And I find that very off-putting, very off-putting, not necessarily the family, because I can only imagine what comes as mother is going through. But, I mean, in my mind, his family is innocent. You know, he's got those young girls and other children.

But him, the gall, trying to use the Bible, the Holy Bible, as a prop? Yeah, this one seems hard for even me to defend, Nancy. I mean, look, in the courtroom, it appears so transparent what he's trying to do in terms of garnering sympathy. The thing is, he should be paying attention to the trial. He should be taking notes. He should be giving input to his counsel. He should be listening to the testimony and, you know, raising points with his attorneys that they can use to try to help him. Instead, he's sitting there kind of putting on this act with the Bible that everybody and their brother can see right through. You know, I'm curious about this. Brian Fitzgibbons is joining us, director of operations, USPA, nationwide security, leading a team of forensic investigators. Brian, what the heart in my mind of this case is for the jury

is proving not just that Sean Combs beat and humiliated women and raped them, but that he had a group of people around him. That's why there's a RICO count, right? Not just one person is involved in RICO. It's an enterprise, a criminal organization or enterprise. We think of it as being used to get the mob, right? But it can be used for gang activity or any time that you have a network facilitating criminal acts, right? This is not just about Sean Combs being a bad boyfriend. This is about

an enterprise, a group of people flying in sex workers, drugging women, facilitating videos of them being raped and sodomized while they're passed out. And where you come into this, Fitzgibbons, is the use of digital forensics like that intercontinental video, like phone evidence, so much more. How is the state going to prove that this is more than just Sean Combs being a tyrant, a bad boyfriend, to put it euphemistically. How do we prove that forensically, Fitzgibbons? You're going to see as the days unfold here, Nancy, that, you know, when we think back to that raid just a few months ago, the amount of devices that were seized will produce a tremendous amount of digital evidence, not to mention what's going to be coming in from the witnesses that the prosecution are going to bring out

here that will provide a harrowing tale of Diddy's enterprise and all of those who have been involved in the cover up. And Fitzgibbons, I know that it's not as, um, oh gosh, what's the right word? Sexy, as some people would call it, as exciting and dramatic as putting a beautiful young mom like Cassie Ventura on the stand. But all the victims in this case are going to be subjected to a searing cross-examination such as, how much did you make off that civil lawsuit against him? Did he pay for one, two, three, and four for you? You stayed willingly. You could have left, couldn't you?

But you didn't because you wanted to be there. And now you want to put him in jail. That's how that cross-exam is going to go. So these victims are going to need corroboration. They're going to need digital and forensic corroboration. I'm hearing in my ear, Dr. Bethany Marshall wants in. And Dr. Bethany, before you jump in, urophilia, urophilia, what is it? Well, it's a perversion.

It's in the DSM and it is becoming aroused by the sight, sound, or smell of urination. Okay. Whoa, whoa, wait. The sight, the sound or the smell of urination. You can't just drop a bomb on me like that. And perhaps sometimes even consuming it. Repeat. Becoming aroused by the sight, sound or smell of urination and sometimes by consuming another person's urine. Okay, fattdis, you're the veteran defense attorney. So you're going to expect a jury to believe that Cassie Ventura was sexually aroused by the sight, the sound, the smell, or even ingesting piss?

You know, certainly some graphic and concerning testimony that's come forward. You know, I think the defense team is going to style this as people have different proclivities. They have different preferences. And even when, you know, sometimes you have a partner and they might have a preference that you don't necessarily share, but you're willing to participate in it due to your love for them or for some other reason. And so I think the defense is going to say, hey, there is going to be some inflammatory evidence like this. And it's not for the faint of heart. But but a bad boy lifestyle isn't the same thing as a criminal lifestyle.

I think that's what defense can argue. You hear that, Faddis? You know what that is, right right good luck trying to argue that with a straight face we are live at the courthouse bringing you the latest in state versus sean combs aka diddy aka puff aka puffy aka puff daddy aka love and it goes on. Straight out to Angelica Martinez-Cervina, joining us at the courthouse, Crime Stories investigative reporter. Angelica, tell me what's happening outside the courthouse. Nancy, it's a very colorful scene outside of the courtroom.

We've got a lot of people. We had reports that there were a lot of people lining up as early as yesterday, as soon as court dismissed, so that they could get a spot for today's court. There's a lot of different fans, you could say, supporters of Diddy. We actually had a guy just right over there playing some of Diddy's best hits. We've got a guy right behind us proclaiming that Diddy is the devil. There's, you know, a lot of varying opinions in the courtroom.

And again, a lot of people excited to watch this. It's a huge trial. It's such a big moment in popular culture, you know, for this generation and whatnot. So there's a lot of people paying attention. There's a lot of eyes on the trial. You know what, Angelica, I'm very worried that you're actually correct. Dr. Bethany Marshall, we hear Angelica Martinez-Servina at the courthouse saying that this is a big moment in pop culture. That's very disturbing. Yeah, remember what happened when Michael Jackson died? Like, did he some kind of icon? Yeah, I mean, these people with Michael Jackson, they rushed

the hospital. In this case, they're going to rush the court. There are a lot of people who are going to be very, very disappointed and upset if and when P. Diddy goes to jail. But they have really identified their own success with him. These pop culture followers, these fanboys and fangirls, their happiness hinges on P. Diddy. When he goes to jail, they're going to be very dysphoric, very sad. It's going to have a huge ripple effect through society. You know, I'm curious, back to Rob Shooter joining us, PR guru for Sean Combs. We were talking earlier about the two sides of Sean Combs. I think there are many more sides,

and most of them are criminal, but that's just me. We see him manipulating the jury in the way he is dressing. I mean, just curious, did you ever see Sean Combs wearing reading glasses? Never. Not once. I never saw him without his hair being perfectly styled. I never saw him without a Marnie, a Gucci, a Prada suit on. Let me tell you a little story once. I was with Puffy flying on a private plane and I had all the press there to see his arrival. And Puff was really mad with me because he didn't want the press filming him arriving in his car. He wanted the airplane behind him.

He thought that image would be better. The reason I tell you that story is those are the type of details that really matter to him. So when you see him reading a Bible, when you see him with gray hair, when you see him staring at the jury, turning around to look at Cassie, none of that is by accident. All of that is planned. Puffy plans his life like a movie, And he's the director and the star. Wow. Shooter. It's trying to take in everything you're saying, because this is critical. This is critical to what's happening with the jury right now.

For those of you just joining us, Cassie Ventura, star witness for the state, who really cracked this case wide open, has been on the stand all day, heavily, heavily pregnant. To you, Rob Shooter, I'm just curious about so many things that only you could explain for me. I want to hear that again. So you arranged for the press to be at a particular moment when Sean Combs was arriving by private jet. Now, what happened? Yeah, the cameras were facing the terminal. So we're looking at the terminal. And as his car came down the runway, practically the tarmac, we shot him. He went mad at me telling me that a terminal is not sexy. A private plane is sexy. So we restaged his entrance, we flipped the press around, and they only shot him when his car pulled up to the steps of the plane. It sounds like a silly little detail, but these are the silly little details Diddy has spent 20 years obsessing about. He's aware that that jury, that those 12 people are watching him, and he has a narrative, a story that he's going to tell them.

You know, yesterday I was told no way would Sean Combs have a stylist. B.S. He's got a stylist. He's got a jury consultant. He's got a fleet of highly paid lawyers to the tune of 10 million dollars so is there any chance in he double l that sean comes his outfits are not carefully orchestrated no chance he will have looked over lookbooks he will have had conversations whether or not he should be wearing his own fashion line. He has a fashion line called Sean John. They decided against this. And so I've never seen him in a buttoned down white shirt and a sweater, a jumper. That just isn't how he dresses. But that's how he's going to dress for the next couple of weeks, because he wants that

jury to think of him as Mr. Rogers, the neighbor next door, the guy they can trust. That's what he wants them to think. And that's what he's selling. And I've got to admit it, Nancy, I'm not happy about this, but I think he's doing a pretty good job at selling this side of him. Wash your filthy mouth out with soap. You brought up Mr. Rogers. Let me ask you, in all the time that you worked for Sean Combs, did you ever see him read the Bible? Never. Not once. I didn't see him quote the Bible,

talk about the Bible. There was only one God in Diddy's world, and that was Diddy. Diddy was the king. He was God. He was in charge. I think he has a complex about feeling that he is God-like. I remember once at a photo shoot where he demanded a crown be brought out and put on his head so he could play king for the day. He's been playing these roles for the last 20 years, and it must be very difficult for him now, but he's not giving up. He's still playing, Nancy. He's still playing the roles. He knows how to manipulate, and even from that chair where he's in a lot of trouble, he's still playing. Crime Stories with Nancy Grace. crime stories with nancy grace we are live at the courthouse in state versus sean combs a day many people thought would never come straight out to sydney sumner crime stories investigative reporter who's been on the case

from the beginning and has been analyzing cassie Ventura's testimony throughout the day. Sidney, the high points of Cassie Ventura's testimony. Explain. Nancy, I think the high point of Cassie's testimony thus far is that Diddy was in control of many aspects of her life. So she meets Combs at just 19 years old. Their relationship begins when she's just about 21. And she talks about not even wanting to kiss Sean Combs. So the first time that they shared a kiss,

they weren't a couple at this point. The first time he showed romantic interest in her was at her 21st birthday party in Las Vegas. And Cassie admits that the kiss left her feeling extremely confused. She ran from her party in tears, not sure what to do with that as a new artist in the industry. So their relationship starting on that point and going from there, Combs just continued to take more and more control of her life. And he was always there. She didn't pick up the phone. He would call her over and over until she did, or he would send security guards to come find her. So on top of the freak-offs, which seems to be

just a segment of their relationship, he coerced her into anything and everything. She didn't feel like she had an ability to say no to Combs, especially with the violence and the threats of releasing these videos. Ventura talks about keeping broken iPhones and broken laptops and things of that nature because she was so worried about what was on them if anyone was to get their hands on them. Speaking of a laptop incident, earlier on we heard from witness Phillip. Listen. Phillip describes one evening where Ventura was at the computer during a break in sex. Combs yelled for his girlfriend to come to him and when she did not, Combs threw a bottle of liquor at Cassie that shattered against the wall after missing her head by inches. Phillips says Combs then

dragged Ventura to another room, and he overheard what sounded like a smack. Then Combs sang, When I tell you to come here, you come here now, not later. Moments later, the couple reemerged, and Combs demanded they resume. Joining us is Rob Shooter, a publicist for Sean Combs. Rob, thank you for being with us. Also star of Naughty But Nice podcast and author of The Four Word Answer. You have a particular insight into another relationship, if it could be called that, of Combs, which preceded Cassie Ventura. It's basically a blueprint. Second verse, same as the first, and that would be Kim Porter, the mother of his children, now dead. Rob Shooter, describe Combs' relationship with Miss Porter? Puff's relationship with Kim was very much the same

relationship he had with Cassie. In fact, some people called Cassie Kim 2.0. They had seen this method. They had seen this relationship. They had seen this grooming. And so Kim was shy, did what she was told, was very much on his arm. He didn't like her to talk very much. He picked the clothes that he would wear. He would decide the events that she would go to. Cassie seems to. She wanted to make it big in show business. She wanted to record songs. And so my heart breaks for her because she was not only in debt to Diddy in her personal life, but also her professional life, which must have made it impossible, almost impossible for her to get away from me. Special guest joining me, Brett Brown, executive director, SASS, Surviving Assault, Standing Strong. You know, it's the same old thing.

Lawyers coercing women to have sex with them in their office so the lawyer would work on a domestic abuse case or finish a divorce case. Bosses forcing, coercing their assistant, their secretary, underlings to engage in sex. We've seen it all. Weinstein, for Pete's sake, perfect example. It's not a new story. And to try to explain why women stay. I mean, when a woman's faced with losing her home, losing her career, maybe losing her children, being blackballed in the industry, what would you do? What would you not do to ensure those things don't happen? What about it, Brett? Well, I think it's everything that you just said. The part that we're kind of missing is the beginning and the end. You know, these women, they want to be seen and they want to be respected and

they want to achieve. And those desires get used against them in this power imbalance. And so whether we're talking about Harvey Weinstein or we're talking about Sean Combs, the recipe is still the same. And once they're on the hook with these powerful men, then you enter the threats and the violence and the force. And so fear and financial insecurity and so many other things start to play in. And so it's not a matter of I keep going so I can get something. These women have to stay in this situation in order to stay alive. And it's interesting to me

because Sean Combs, like any abuser, has spent an enormous amount of time on his reputation and on his look to make sure that he seems like the fun guy next door. And here is this predator sitting in a courtroom with a Bible. And I just wanted to say that even Satan quoted scripture in the Bible. And at the end of the day, he was still the devil.

Oh, I'm totally stealing that. Wow. That was powerful. And you're right. Guys, why would Cassie stay in the relationship? You're going to hear a lot about that on cross-examination of Cassie Ventura, now eight and a half months pregnant on the stand. What will happen on cross? At the end of her cross, there will probably be a rebuttal, a redirect examination. But we know this. We know state's witness Daniel Phillip begged her to leave Sean Combs, but she was afraid. It's not just her saying it. Him, too. Listen. Phillip says he didn't call the police after witnessing the violence from Combs because he felt Combs had unlimited power and that his life would be in danger if he did so. Phillip explains that he continued working for the couple so that he could at least check on Ventura. Phillip says after witnessing several more violent incidents, he tried to get Cassie to explain why she was still with Combs

and convince her to leave. But Ventura refused to discuss it with him. Throughout the day, Cassie Ventura, a state star witness, has been on the stand. To Rob Sheeter, longtime publicist for Sean Combs. What's so scary, Rob Sheeter? Based on everything you've told me, it worked.

Sean Combs' machinations, his improv, puts out a particular image and the public bought it, hook, line, and sinker? And why shouldn't they? They didn't know any different. Can it work in a court of law? I am frightened to say not only can it work, but save the state, I think it is going to work. I predict here that Diddy is going to get off again, that he's going to whip at least one or two people in that jury into a frenzy, believing that he's a good guy, that he might

be into kinky sex, he might be into relationships that we find perverse, but that this was all legal. So I don't want to say this now, but I predict it not only could work, I think it's going to. We remember an American hero, Deputy Sheriff Dan Thomas Glaze, Jr., Russ County Sheriff's, Wisconsin, shot and killed in the line of duty, survived by grieving wife and high school sweetheart, Sarah, children Kendall, Levi, Eliana, who was just five months old when she lost her dad. American hero, Deputy Sheriff Dan Thomas Glaze, Jr. Nancy Grace signing off.

Goodbye, friend. This is an iHeart Podcast.