No Freedom for "Diddy" This 4th of July; Bail Denied After Shock Split Verdict| Crime Alert 6AM 07.03.2025
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Crime Alert, I'm Nancy Grace. Breaking crime news now. Our Jennifer Gould standing by. Jennifer. Sean Diddy Combs won't be celebrating Independence Day as a free man as U.S. District Judge Aaron Sobermanian denied his bail request on Wednesday, chaining the rap mogul to the grim confines of Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Center.

The stunning decision followed a split verdict on Combs' explosive Manhattan federal trial, where the 55-year-old was convicted of two prostitution-related charges, but cleared of sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy counts that could have locked him away for life.

Diddy's best friend, Charlie Lucci, spoke to the media outside the courthouse. The seven-week trial concluded with a jury of eight men and four women delivering a partial verdict on July 1st, initially deadlocked on the racketeering charge until resolving it the following day, Wednesday.

They ultimately found Combs guilty of two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution, tied to allegations involving ex-girlfriend Cassandra Cassie Ventura and another woman known only as Jane. The prosecution called 34 witnesses, including Ventura, who testified for four grueling days about alleged coerced freak-off sex events.

and male escort Sharae Hayes, notoriously known as the Punisher. The defense summoned no witnesses, relying solely on aggressive cross-examinations to argue consent from the accusers. Closing arguments had ignited fierce controversy. Prosecutor Emily Johnson branded Combs a manipulative king

orchestrating widespread abuse, while defense attorney Mark Agnifilo vehemently claimed the encounters were consensual, accusing witnesses of fabricating stories in pursuit of financial payouts.

Juror number 25 briefly sparked chaos with the foreperson questioning their compliance, but Judge Subramanian pushed deliberations forward until the final verdict was reached after over an hour of deliberations on Wednesday. Before denying bail, Subramanian briefly paused proceedings, requesting letters from both sides on Combs' bail request immediately.

citing grave concerns over potential flight risk and witness tampering, ultimately ruling to keep him detained. In a dramatic moment in court, Combs dropped to his knees in prayer post-verdict, joined by his mother Janice and his kids.

Outside, a spectacle unfolded as supporters cheered, poured baby oil, a bizarre reference to trial testimony, and strangely, one friend and a combed son performed push-ups. Each prostitution count carries a 10-year maximum sentence with federal guidelines suggesting a range of 15 to 21 months to 51 to 63 months.

Combs now faces his formal sentencing on October 3rd at 10 a.m. While he narrowly dodged a life sentence over 50 civil lawsuits alleging sexual misconduct, many filed since his September 2024 arrest, ensuring his arduous legal battles will continue.

For more on this case, watch Crime Stories with Nancy Grace on Merit TV, Monday through Friday at 7 p.m. Eastern. Check your local listings for channel assignment and subscribe to the Crime Stories with Nancy Grace podcast on your favorite podcasting app. Nancy. Thanks, Jennifer. More crime and justice news after this.

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In a courtroom bombshell that sent shockwaves through the nation, Brian Koberger, the former criminology Ph.D. student accused of savagely stabbing four University of Idaho students, pleaded guilty to four counts of first-degree murder and one count of burglary on Wednesday. As to count two...

Murder in the first degree as it relates to the murder of Madison Mogan, how do you plead, guilty or not guilty? Guilty. As to count three, as it relates to murder in the first degree for the murder of Kaylee Gonsalves, how do you plead, guilty or not guilty? Guilty. As to count four, the first degree murder of Zanna Cronodal, pardon me, a human being, how do you plead, guilty or not guilty? Guilty. Guilty.

As to count five, the first degree murder of Ethan Chapin, a human being, how do you plead? Guilty or not guilty? Guilty. This stunning 11th hour confession just weeks before his highly anticipated trial spares Kohlberger the death penalty in exchange for consecutive life sentences without parole. The 30-year-old was emotionless.

barely uttering yes or guilty as Judge Stephen Hippler read the charges, admitting to the brutal killings of Kaylee Gonsalves, Madison Mogan, Zanna Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin in their off-campus Moscow home on November 13, 2022. The plea deal brings an abrupt end to a nearly three-year saga that has riveted the country, but it has simultaneously ignited a firestorm among the victims' families.

The Gonsalves family in particular expressed their profound fury at the state of Idaho, asserting they were blindsided by an email announcing the deal. On Facebook, they blasted the quote-unquote secretive deal and the rushed hearing that gave them only one day to travel to Boise. Steve Gonsalves, Caylee's father, passionately called the plea a quote, ridiculous joke, end quote, insisting it denied true justice.

He spoke to NBC News. Idaho's failed. They failed me. They failed my whole family. In stark contrast, Ethan Chapin's family publicly supported the deal, attending the hearing to back a resolution that avoids a grueling and emotionally draining trial.

Prosecutors led by Bill Thompson defended the plea as a strategic move to secure convictions and spare the victims' families the agonizing toll of a prolonged trial and decades of appeals. They had built a robust case, including critical evidence such as Koberger's DNA found on a K-bar knife sheath near Madison Mogan's body.

Further, cell phone data placed Koberger's phone near the crime scene, a chilling 23 times in the months leading up to the murders. Surveillance footage also captured his distinctive white Hyundai Elantra speeding away from the vicinity of the house.

Key witnesses, including a DoorDash driver who made a delivery to the house that fateful night and a surviving roommate who encountered a masked figure with bushy eyebrows, were prepared to testify. Koberger's defense had faced significant setbacks prior to the plea. Judge Hippler had previously rejected crucial motions to suppress DNA evidence, dismissed the death penalty as a sentencing option, and allowed the defense to present alternate proceedings

perpetrators, calling the latter, quote, rank speculation, end quote. These legal defeats likely put immense pressure on Koberger's team, who initiated the plea negotiations just last week. Sentencing is set for July 23rd, where victims' families will have the opportunity to deliver powerful impact statements confronting Koberger directly. As the justice system closes one chapter, the ultimate terror lingers.

A plea deal may spare a courtroom battle, but it leaves behind the haunting, unanswered questions of why these four innocent lives were brutally taken, what chilling motive drove such monstrous acts, and how these specific individuals became the targets of such an unfathomable crime.

And finally, talk about a toxic romance. A former prison nurse in Missouri just got served a 12-year sentence for offing her husband with antifreeze. Amy Murray, 47, took an Alford plea for second-degree murder in the death of her husband, Joshua Murray. Turns out Amy had a secret admirer, an inmate. Investigators unfroze the chilling motive. She was hooking up with convicted murderer Eugene Claypool, serving life behind bars.

Recorded prison calls revealed her deadly plan to divorce Joshua and walk down the aisle with her jailhouse Romeo, even talking about his early release. After Joshua's mysterious death and a suspicious fire, she cold-heartedly told Claypool her husband was, quote, out of the picture. Now Amy gets to trade her nurse scrubs for a prison uniform, proving love can really be a killer. 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.

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Pet-friendly, stain-resistant, and interchangeable slipcovers are made with high-performance fabric that's built for real life. You'll love the cloud-like comfort of hypoallergenic, high-resilience foam that never needs fluffing and a durable steel frame that stands the test of time.

with modular pieces you can rearrange anytime. It's a sofa that adapts to your life. Now through July 4th, get up to 60% off site-wide at washablesofas.com. Every order comes with a 30-day satisfaction guarantee. If you're not in love, send it back for a full refund. No return shipping, no restocking fees, every penny back. Declare independence from dirty, outdated furniture. Shop now at washablesofas.com.

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