CNN
—
Sean combs, a music tycoon that once headed the lists of successes before experiencing a fall that the headlines have monopolized, will be present in a New York court this Monday during the selection of a jury of its peers that will decide its destination in the midst of a series of federal positions.
The challenge, says an expert, is to find a jury that listens to the facts and, as far as possible, issues a fair verdict for a man who is the defendant, not a man known to many as Diddy.
“This is the exceptional case in which it must be assumed that each possible jury knows who the accused is, has knowledge about the case and probably has some predisposition in this regard,” said Elf Honig, a senior legal analyst of CNN, in a recent interview. “Therefore, the task of jury selection is to rule out those who simply cannot put aside what they already know and believe, and cannot issue a fair verdict.”
Combs face five positions for conspiracy to commit organized crime, sex trafficking and transport to exercise prostitution. If he is convicted of all charges, he could face life imprisonment.
Comink, who has been in custody at the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) in Brooklyn since his arrest in September 2024, declared himself innocent of all charges.
CNN previously reported that the group of possible jurors could be questioned about issues such as their opinions about sex with multiple couples, drugs and hip-hop. They could also be asked about their feelings, beliefs or experiences related to couple violence, infidelity in a relationship, prostitution, illegal drug distribution and music industry, according to judicial documents reviewed by CNN.
The holders on the case have sometimes focused on the most rugged details, such as the approximately 1,000 bottles of baby oil and personal lubricant seized at their home during a record made by the federal authorities in March 2024. In addition, there are the tens of civil lawsuits filed against combs for alleged victims, including minor people at the time of the alleged incidents, who claim to have been drugged and sexually attacked by the magnate Musical in conflict. (Comink has denied all accusations).
While civil lawsuits are not part of the Federal Criminal Trial, it will be a challenge to know how much, if any, the jurors are familiar with them.
“It has almost become a universal joke that nobody wants them to associate it with Sean Com combs,” said Honig, former federal and state. “I think that worries the defense, but there is always this kind of fascination with celebrities, good or bad. And there are people whose judgment can be a bit cloudy in both cases.”
For example, he said, the Prosecutor’s Office could try to eliminate from the list any possible jury that seems to idolize combs or “has been faithful as a fan.” Alternatively, they could also try to eliminate a possible jury that “shows some negativity towards the alleged victims and their motives.”
Both prosecutors and defense will try to fill the jury with individuals who believe they are inclined to see the case in their favor.
The voir dire process implies two types of dismissals: so -called justified dismissals and peremptory dismissals. The judge determines the exonerated justifiably, while the lawyers of both parties are allowed a certain number of peremptory dismissals, which are strategically used.
“This is part of the strategic game that we will see,” said Honig.
The combs trial is expected to last several weeks.
Once the jury is sitting, the judge will order them to avoid the media coverage of the case during the duration of the trial to help ensure that the jury verdict is strictly based on the testimony and the evidence received as evidence in the trial.
This is an instruction that has become more difficult, if not impossible, in the era of Tiktok and social networks, said Honig, and is “especially a challenge for defense because the coverage of the case has been overwhelmingly, I do not say unduly, but overwhelmingly negative towards Sean combs.”
That said, “our courts are equipped for it,” he emphasized.
“There is nothing that the courts have not addressed before, but it is a challenge.”
Megan Thomas, Elizabeth Wagmeister, Kara Scannell and Lauren del Valle de CNN contributed to this report.
