Crime Stories with Nancy Grace - Sean 'Diddy' Combs trial: Juror dismissed over 'concerns about his candor' | Crime Alert 6AM 06.17.25

Episode Date: June 17, 2025

Inside a federal courtroom in Manhattan Monday, prosecutors presented jurors with portions of three sexually explicit videos said to feature Sean Combs in what witnesses have described as “freak-off” sex marathons. The clips, played only for jurors and courtroom parties wearing headphones, came from a cellphone linked to Combs and turned over by his former girlfriend, Casandra Ventura. Two teenage brothers have been sentenced to 20 years in prison for their roles in a drive-by shooting that killed a 5-year-old girl in Albuquerque.  The shooting, part of a surge in violence in 2023, led New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham to declare a public health emergency, temporarily restricting guns in public parks and playgrounds.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an iHeart Podcast. Crime Alert, I'm Nancy Grace breaking crime news now. Over a dozen celebrities' names are dropped in the Shawn Combs' multi-count federal indictment trial, but the only ones to take the stand so far are Cassie Ventura, Dawn Richard, and Kid Cudi. None support the star rapper. As the defense now takes center stage, will the biggest star of all, Sean Combs, aka Diddy himself, take the stand? Standing by our Sydney Sumner with the latest, Sid.

Inside a federal courtroom in Manhattan on Monday, prosecutors presented jurors with portions of three sexually explicit videos said to feature Sean Combs and what witnesses have described as freak-off sex marathons. The clips, played only for jurors and courtroom parties wearing headphones, came from a cell phone linked to Combs and turned over by his former girlfriend, Cassie Ventura. One video, dated October 14, 2012, was recorded the same day Combs allegedly hosted a session with Cassie and sex worker Sheree Hayes, nicknamed the Punisher, at the Trump International Hotel near Columbus Circle. Prosecutors also entered a hotel invoice and texts arranging the encounter into evidence. Two additional videos from 2012 and 2014 were shown. Reactions from the jury were mostly subdued, though at least one juror winced.

Combs' attorneys maintain the footage shows only consensual sex. Earlier in the day, Judge Arun Subramanian dismissed a juror over credibility concerns tied to inconsistent residency claims. The government is expected to rest its case Wednesday after six weeks of testimony. Defense attorneys say their witnesses will follow. For the latest crime and justice news, go to CrimeOnline.com and please join us for our daily podcast, Crime Stories. More crime and justice news after this.

Now with the latest crime and justice breaking news, Crime Online's John Lemley. Two teenage brothers have been sentenced to 20 years in prison for their roles in a drive-by shooting that killed a five-year-old girl in Albuquerque. The shooting, part of a surge in violence in 2023, led New Mexico Governor Michel Lujan Grisham to declare a public health emergency, temporarily restricting guns in public parks and playgrounds. Authorities say Galilea Samaniego was sleeping in a mobile home when the teens driving stolen vehicles opened fire targeting another teenager inside.

The shot struck Galilea in the head. She died at a hospital. The brothers, ages 15 and 19 at the time, were among five defendants who reached plea agreements. Prosecutors in Bernalillo County say another suspect received 16 years, while two others received lesser sentences. Despite the crackdown on crime, Albuquerque continues to see deadly violence involving juveniles leaving communities on edge.

In Cleveland, an Ohio attorney accused in a decade old murder case is now facing new charges. 51 year old Gregory J. Moore pleaded not guilty to aggravated murder, kidnapping, and conspiracy in the 2013 stabbing death of Aliza Sherman, a 53 year old nurse and mother of four. Sherman was found stabbed more than 10 times outside the downtown office where she was supposed to meet Moore to discuss her divorce, just one day before trial.

Prosecutors say Moore staged the attack to delay that trial, luring Sherman to the locked office, then misleading investigators afterward. Moore already convicted in 2017 for lying to police and making bomb threats to delay other court cases, was arrested in May in Texas and extradited to Ohio. His bond, $2 million. Sherman's killing sparked years of public outcry and remembrance events.

New Hampshire has agreed to a $10 million settlement with Michael Gilpatrick, who says he was raped and abused at a state-run youth detention center in the 1990s. Gilpatrick's lawsuit was set for trial but was settled instead. His payout is four times the state's usual compensation for victims, but far less than a $38 million jury award in a similar case last year, a verdict the state is fighting

to reduce. Gilpatrick, now 41, was 14 when he was sent to the Youth Development Center in Manchester. His allegations led to criminal charges against four former staffers. Two have faced trial. One was sentenced up to 40 years in prison while another's case ended in a mistrial. The facility, now named for former Governor John H. Sununu, is set to close with a smaller replacement planned. Since 2019, 11 former staffers have been arrested in connection with abuse claims. Two have been convicted and more trials are pending.

Thanks, John. For the latest crime and justice news, go to CrimeOnline.com and please join us for our daily podcast, Crime Stories, where we do our best to find missing people, especially children, and solve unsolved homicides. With this Crime Alert, I'm Nancy Grace. This is an iHeart Podcast.