Crime Alert, I'm Nancy Grace. Breaking crime news now. Celebrity support still not happening in the courtroom for Sean Combs, a.k.a. Diddy. Our Jennifer Gould standing by. Jennifer, what do you know? Nancy, the federal sex trafficking trial against Sean Diddy Combs plunged into new depths of depravity on Wednesday with a chilling allegation of...
balcony terror, a cash for video payoff, and that infamous footage showing the music mogul brutally attacking his former girlfriend, Cassie Ventura. Day 16 at the high-stakes trial began with a return to the stand by Eddie Garcia, a former security supervisor at the Intercontinental Hotel in Los Angeles.
Under an immunity order, Garcia testified that in 2016, Combs paid him a staggering $100,000 cash for surveillance footage depicting the mogul violently assaulting Ventura in a hotel hallway. Garcia stated the mogul had him sign a non-disclosure agreement with Combs' team, believing it secured the only copy.
Next, forensic expert Steven Piazza testified establishing the authenticity of that graphic 2016 hotel footage. Piazza's analysis confirmed no anomalies in the recording, bolstering the prosecution's case that Combs' violence was habitual. The afternoon delivered further harrowing testimony from Brianna Bongolon, another accuser and close friend of Ventura.
Bangalon, who was granted immunity to testify after initially invoking her Fifth Amendment right, recounted a chilling 2016 incident where Combs allegedly stormed into Ventura's L.A. apartment, threatening her life and dramatically dangling Ventura over the edge of a 17th-floor balcony railing for 10 to 15 seconds. Bangalon said she feared she would fall to her death.
After finally pulling her back, Combs allegedly hurled her onto patio furniture, leaving her with bruises and neck pain and causing ongoing night terrors and paranoia.
Bongalon also detailed another incident where Combs allegedly threatened her life, saying, quote, I'm the devil. I could kill you, end quote. And she recalled seeing Ventura with a black eye multiple times. Defense attorney Nicole Westmoreland began cross-examination, aiming to challenge her credibility. Day 17 is expected to feature testimony from an accuser using the pseudonym of Jane, focusing on further allegations of abuse and coercion.
with prosecutors planning to introduce text messages as evidence. Combs has remained engaged, taking notes and conferring with his defense team, who continues to argue that the mogul's actions were part of a swinger lifestyle and all activity was consensual. His family, including his mom Janice, has been present, though some left during explicit testimony.
Combs, 55, faces five federal charges, including racketeering and sex trafficking. If convicted, he could face life behind bars. For the latest crime and justice news, watch Crime Stories with Nancy Grace on Merritt TV at 6 and 9 Eastern. Check your local listings for channel listings and subscribe to Crime Stories with Nancy Grace on your favorite podcast app. Thanks, Jennifer. More crime and justice news after this.
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Add a little to your life. Offers are subject to change and certain restrictions may apply. The serene landscapes of Washington's National Forest became the chilling backdrop for an unthinkable tragedy. Three young sisters, Peyton Decker, nine, Evelyn Decker, eight, and Olivia Decker, five, were found dead at the Rock Island campground near Leavenworth.
Court documents obtained by Fox 13 paint a horrifying picture. The girls likely died by asphyxiation, their wrists bound with zip ties and plastic bags over their heads. Their father, Travis Decker, 32, is now a fugitive, charged with three counts of first-degree murder,
and kidnapping, prompting a nationwide manhunt. And now officials are offering a $20,000 reward for information leading to Decker's arrest. This resident spoke to Cairo 7 News. I'm sorry for the family and for the mother.
That's devastating. I absolutely cannot imagine. The horror began when Decker, a former military member with extensive training, failed to return the girls to their mom, Whitney Decker, on May 30th, as stipulated by their court-ordered parenting plan. An endangered missing person alert was issued the very next day, but hope turned to despair when a Chelan County Sheriff's Deputy discovered Decker's 2017 white GMC Sierra pickup truck marked with two
bloody handprints 17 miles up Icicle Road. The girls' bodies were found 75 to 100 yards away down an embankment surrounded by scattered zip ties and plastic bags, according to court records. Decker's cell phone activity showed he had visited the campground a day prior to picking up the girls.
Decker's documented mental health struggles cast a long shadow over the tragedy. Court documents detail a history of instability, revealing a diagnosis of borderline personality disorder in 2022. This psychological evaluation was ordered during his contentious divorce from Whitney after she reported his erratic behavior, including angry outbursts and suicidal ideation.
The evaluation revealed his struggles with emotional regulation, impulsivity, and paranoia. Whitney, granted primary custody in 2023, required Decker to undergo ongoing mental health treatment and anger management counseling as conditions for supervised visitation. But records show he attended only three therapy sessions in 2024 and stopped taking prescribed meds, citing a distrust of medical professionals.
Whitney told investigators Decker's mental health had deteriorated in recent months. He was reportedly homeless, living in his truck or motels. His military background, including training in survival tactics, has heightened concerns about his ability to evade capture. Authorities do not know if he has a weapon on him, but they are treating him as armed and dangerous.
Decker is described as white, 5'8", 190 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes. Authorities urge anyone with information on his whereabouts to call 911, emphasizing he should not be approached. Tips can also be submitted anonymously to Crimestoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.
And finally, he stepped in to do the right thing to protect a stranger, and for that selfless act, Tyson Carter was brutally butchered. The 41-year-old Long Island hero endured a savage two-on-one beatdown at a Brentwood, Long Island bus stop, a confrontation that ended with his nose bitten right off. But from that horrifying moment of disfigurement, a medical miracle has emerged, giving Carter his face and his life back.
This past January, Carter saw two men harassing a young woman at that bus stop and intervened. The situation, though, escalated, turning into a horrific two-on-one assault. He knew he'd been bitten because his jacket was full of blood, but it wasn't until he got to the hospital that he saw Carter.
the devastating reality that his nose was gone. His world seemingly shattered. Carter's life was transformed by Dr. Laurent Garnery, an oral and maxillofacial surgeon at Long Island Jewish Medical Center. Here's Tyson at the news conference. Someone who hasn't seen me for a while looks in my face. Unless you really look, you can't even tell that anything happened.
Over nine grueling weeks, Dr. Ganry performed three cutting-edge surgeries. He used a 3D-printed model of Carter's face in clay to meticulously sculpt a precise nose template, even using Carter's old selfies for reference.
Skin and muscle were also grafted from Carter's forehead and arm, employing a technique refined from ancient Indian surgical methods. For Carter, the surgery not only restored his confidence, but also his ability to wear glasses, which are crucial because he can only see six inches in front of him. Without them, he still faces one final procedure for breathing, but Carter remains remarkably resilient, proof that tragedy can be turned into triumph. Nancy.
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 help solve unsolved homicides. With this crime alert, I'm Nancy Grace. This is an iHeart Podcast.