cover of episode Sean Combs: Cassie Ventura takes the stand.

Sean Combs: Cassie Ventura takes the stand.

2025/5/14
logo of podcast Dateline NBC

Dateline NBC

AI Deep Dive Transcript
People
A
Andrea Canning
经验丰富的《Dateline NBC》记者和主播,专注于真实犯罪报道。
C
Chloe Melas
Topics
Andrea Canning: 庭审第二天,辩方对一名男子进行了盘问,该男子声称他曾被付钱与科姆斯的当时的伴侣卡西·文图拉发生性关系,并且他目睹了科姆斯对卡西的暴力行为。之后,检方传唤了卡西·文图拉本人作为他们的明星证人。案件围绕卡西·文图拉的证词展开,她详细描述了与肖恩·科姆斯的虐待关系,包括性交易和暴力行为。这名男子声称他参与了“freak-offs”,并与卡西建立了友谊,但在接受盘问时,科姆斯的律师指出他的证词与之前的调查陈述不符。这名证人承认,他曾考虑过报警,但因为他喜欢与这些名人在一起而放弃了。他一方面声称害怕科姆斯,不敢报警或干预,另一方面,在声称目睹科姆斯对卡西施暴后,他给卡西发短信说“我爱你们”。当律师质问他为何在害怕的情况下还发这样的短信时,他声称是为了引诱卡西邀请他参加另一次“freak off”,以便确认她的身心状况。陪审团是否会相信他的解释,这是个问题。 Chloe Melas: 卡西·文图拉穿着一件合身的棕色连衣裙和一件长款棕色外套走进法庭,她的丈夫坐在我的正前方,现场非常安静。卡西·文图拉的证词备受期待。在庭审中,检察官展示了一张照片,照片中有卡西、肖恩·科姆斯和金·波特,科姆斯的孩子们也在法庭上,但他们表现得很坚强和冷静。科姆斯的前女友米萨·希尔顿也出席了庭审,她在Instagram上表达了对卡西的同情,并表示肖恩需要帮助,但她现在却站在科姆斯的一边。当卡西走进法庭时,肖恩·科姆斯转身注视着她走向证人席,并在她作证期间一直盯着她,面无表情。在休庭期间,科姆斯回到法庭后,他看了看坐在身后的家人,睁大了眼睛,叹了口气。科姆斯看起来很紧张,这与他在审前听证会上微笑和向家人飞吻的形象截然不同。科姆斯面临终身监禁的可能,而这一切可能都与卡西有关。卡西是一名艺术家,渴望与Bad Boy Records签约,并最终与科姆斯的公司签订了10张专辑的合约。她认为科姆斯是一位连续创业者和造王者。在他们关系的初期,科姆斯对她很好,但在她21岁生日那天,科姆斯第一次亲吻了她,她感到非常震惊和困惑。她当时很天真,不谙世事。后来,他们的关系变得浪漫,她开始爱上他,他们断断续续地在一起了11年。卡西以为他们是单偶制关系,但科姆斯有很多女友,她对此感到嫉妒。科姆斯的辩护律师在开庭陈述中提到,所有的愤怒都源于双方的嫉妒。卡西说,在他们关系的早期,科姆斯提出了三人行的想法,他们最终与一名妓女发生了三人行,她并不想这样做,但为了让肖恩高兴,她没有明确表达自己的意愿。在那之后,这种“freak-offs”每周都会发生,有时会持续几天。肖恩基本上控制了她的大部分生活,包括她的事业和着装。卡西被科姆斯指示去雇佣妓女,她有时会预订酒店,支付妓女的费用,甚至会带蜡烛和婴儿油来布置酒店房间。卡西在作证时情绪激动,在谈到她被迫参与“freak-offs”以及她深爱科姆斯并只想让他高兴时,她崩溃大哭。明天卡西将继续作证,辩方将在某个时候对她进行盘问。

Deep Dive

Shownotes Transcript

Translations:
中文

What if you could turn your curiosity for true crime into a degree?

At Southern New Hampshire University, you can. Southern New Hampshire University offers over 200 degrees you can earn online, including subjects like forensic psychology and criminology. And with some of the lowest online tuition rates in the U.S., Southern New Hampshire University makes earning your degree affordable. Find your degree at snhu.edu. That's snhu.edu.

This episode of Dateline NBC is brought to you by Almond Joy. With its blend of real creamy coconut, rich chocolatey taste, and satisfying almond crunch, Almond Joy is a taste that takes you away. Blissful tropical flavors will have you feeling sunny vibes and ocean breezes in every bite. Almond Joy, your ticket to a sweet, indulgent, laid-back escape. Grab the creamy coconut and chocolatey crunch of Almond Joy today and taste paradise.

Hey, everyone. Andrea Canning here with a bonus drop from the Dateline True Crime Weekly team. For the next eight weeks or so, we'll be bringing you daily updates from the trial of Sean Diddy Combs. I'll be talking to NBC News correspondent Chloe Malas every day after court about what she's seeing inside, the witnesses, the evidence, and what it all means. Starting tomorrow, episodes will drop in the Dateline True Crime Weekly feed. ♪

This is On Trial, a special podcast from Dateline True Crime Weekly, bringing you daily coverage from the Sean Combs trial. I'm Andrea Canning. Today is May 13th. In this episode, we're going to be talking about some graphic details and harrowing subject matter. Sean Combs is facing charges of racketeering, sex trafficking, and transportation for the purposes of prostitution, all of which he has denied. This

The second day of testimony began with his defense team's vigorous cross-examination of a man who says that he was paid to have sex with Combs' then-girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, and that he also saw Combs behave violently toward Cassie. Then, just after 11 a.m., the prosecution called Cassie Ventura herself. She is their star witness, and NBC News correspondent Chloe Malas was in the courtroom when Cassie made her way to the stand.

She joins me now from just outside the courthouse to tell us what happened next. She's eight months pregnant and walks into this courtroom wearing this fitted brown dress, this long brown overcoat. Her husband was sitting right in front of me, and you could hear a pin drop. This has been the most anticipated testimony for over a year. Before we get to Cassie's actual testimony...

Let's talk about this other witness who started the day off. He is the man who says that in 2012 and 2013, he met Cassie and Sean Combs at hotels around New York City and at both of their homes. This was for sex with Cassie.

He testified yesterday and again today on Cross that he witnessed Combs being violent with Cassie on at least two occasions, and it made him very uncomfortable. But yet he decided not to say anything. He is a bit of a conundrum.

During his testimony, he talked about having participated in these freak-offs and that he developed a friendship with Cassie, or so he thought. On cross-examination, one of Combs' attorneys, Xavier Donaldson, really picked apart his testimony and said, look, some of the things that you're saying are not what you told investigators in the lead-up to this trial. And I know that this witness, he apparently said that he had thought about going to police but didn't want to because he enjoyed...

being part of this world that he was in with these celebrities. On one hand, he says, I was so afraid for my life. I did not know what Sean Combs was capable of, which is why I didn't go to the police, which is why I didn't physically intervene. But

then there's a text exchange between himself and Cassie Ventura after this incident where he claims he saw Combs be violent with Cassie where he says I just love y'all that's paraphrasing the text message and

when Xavier Donaldson on cross-examination said, well, if you were so scared for your life or you were so disgusted by what you had seen, why did you write that? And he actually says, oh, well, I didn't mean what I texted. I just did that to bait Cassie because I wanted her to ask me to participate in another freak off so that I could go see her in person and make sure that she was emotionally and physically okay because I was worried about her. But

Is that something that the jury's really gonna buy? Combs' children were in court. How did they handle this? Did they stay for the entirety or, I mean, it's a lot.

You know, at one point, prosecutors introduced a photo as evidence just to establish the fact that Cassie was dating Combs. And it was early on in their relationship. And in the photo, it's Cassie, Sean Combs, someone else, and Kim Porter. Reportedly, the love of Combs' life died of pneumonia several years ago. And her children were in that courtroom. And I looked over at them, and I thought that I was going to see tears, but they remained strong and very stoic.

One of Combs' ex-partners was also there today, the mother of his son Justin. Her name is Misa Hilton. And what was interesting about her presence is that after the video of Cassie being beaten at the hotel in L.A. came out, she posted something on Instagram about it.

Yeah, I was actually surprised to see her in the courtroom about a year ago. That's when she wrote. My heart goes out to her meeting Cassie saying I know how she feels. Also saying that Sean needs help. But she is sitting right there on Combs's side of the courtroom. When we come back, Cassie Ventura takes the stand. Is your kid asked for help with homework or maybe your child's ahead of the curve getting bored in class?

Whether your kid is struggling or soaring, IXL can make a real difference. IXL is an award-winning online learning platform that helps kids really understand what they're learning. It covers math and language arts and science and social studies from pre-K all the way through the 12th grade. It's designed to be engaging, personalized, and yes, actually fun, with encouraging feedback that keeps kids motivated.

Make an impact on your child's learning. Get IXL now. And Dateline NBC listeners can get an exclusive 20% off IXL membership when they sign up today at ixl.com slash dateline. Visit ixl.com slash dateline to get their learning program at the best price.

Businesswoman, entrepreneur, and supermodel Cindy Crawford founded Meaningful Beauty with world-renowned cosmetic specialist Dr. Sabah to share his age-maintenance-focused skincare treatments and formulas. After using Meaningful Beauty for eight weeks, 100% of women said their skin looks vibrant and bright. Tomorrow's gorgeous starts today. Go to MeaningfulBeauty.com slash beauty to receive 25% off and get the targeted treatment duo gift set for free. MeaningfulBeauty.com slash beauty. That's MeaningfulBeauty.com slash beauty.

Hey guys, finding the perfect gift for the food lover in your life is easy. Thanks to GoldBelly. GoldBelly ships America's most iconic foods straight from world famous restaurants right to your door.

So if you want to treat someone to Joe's Stone Crab from Miami, Franklin Barbecue from Texas, or desserts from famous foodies like Ina Garten or Martha Stewart, GoldBelly has you covered with free shipping anywhere in the country. Just go to GoldBelly.com and for a limited time, get 20% off your first order with promo code GIFT. That's promo code GIFT.

How did Sean Combs look when Cassie walked into that courtroom? He turned around and he watched her walk down the aisle of the courtroom and go up to the witness stand. And he really stared at her during her entire testimony. His face, expressionless. I saw him looking over into the jury box multiple times. But he didn't look at her.

When there was one of the breaks, everybody left the courtroom. And then when we all came back in, as Combs walked back in, he looked over at his family sitting behind him and he opened his eyes really wide. And you could see him let out this big sigh.

You can tell he's stressed. And this is very different than the Sean Combs that we've seen at all the pretrial hearings where he's smiling and he's even yesterday blowing a kiss to his family. He looks tense. Maybe that's because this is the first time that he's seen Cassie since they broke up several years ago. And also, I mean, because let's be honest, he faces up to life in prison. And you can argue that this whole thing is happening right now possibly because of her.

Oh, absolutely. There will be other witnesses. There are other alleged victims. But Cassie is the star witness. So Cassie gave some insight into how she met Sean about this incident.

age gap between them. He's seeing somebody else at the time. Let us know kind of what she said about how this all started. So Cassie's an artist, right? Who had a couple of hits very early on in her career. And she described being introduced to Combs because she was hoping to sign with Bad Boy Records. And she ultimately did land this 10 album deal with

with his company. And she said she knew him as this serial entrepreneur. He was a kingmaker. And...

you know, she was just excited to be in his presence. And in the beginning of their relationship, he was really looking out for her. She had a couple of bad performances and she said that he always had her back. But then she says that it was her 21st birthday and she celebrated it in Las Vegas. And that is the night that Combs kissed her for the first time. And she actually said in her testimony today that she ran after

out crying because she was so taken aback by the fact that he was showing interest in her. He's essentially her boss. And she was really confused. And she described herself as just being...

just really naive when it came to relationships. But then she said shortly thereafter, their situation became romantic and that she started to fall in love with him. And that's when they became intimate. And then they ended up staying together on and off for 11 years. Yeah. I mean, it was a long time. And when you look at those pictures of them on red carpets, they look

so perfect together. And what's also really interesting is that she said she thought that they were in this monogamous relationship, but it turned out that Combs had, quote, many girlfriends in his life, right? And she said on the stand today that she was jealous of that.

And so that is something that we heard in Combs' defense's opening statement yesterday, that this, all of this rage was fueled by jealousy on both sides. So we heard the so-called escort talk about the free coughs. What was Cassie's version of them in court? Cassie said that early on in the relationship, he introduced the idea of having threesomes. And ultimately, they had...

a threesome with an escort. And she said that she didn't want to do it, but that she didn't really vocalize it because she wanted to make Sean happy. And she said that once they did it, it just kept going. And that at one point, these freak-offs were happening weekly. And some of these freak-offs would last days.

At a certain point, she said Sean was essentially controlling most of her life. I mean, she said that, look, I mean, he was the head of Bad Boy. He controlled her career. He told her what to wear, allegedly. She said that she was the one that was instructed by Combs to go and hire these escorts. Sometimes she would book the hotels. She would pay the escorts.

and that she would even bring candles and baby oil and help really arrange the hotel room before these freak-offs happened. Cassie got emotional at times, Chloe? Yeah, so pretty early on in her testimony, you saw her holding a Kleenex.

and she was wiping her nose and kind of wiping her eyes. And then when she started talking about how she really felt forced into these freak-offs and that she really was in love with Combs and really just wanted to make him happy, that's when she broke down crying. So it was a very emotional day. Cassie will be back on the stand tomorrow, and the defense will have their turn to cross-examine at some point. Chloe, thank you so much for taking the time to talk to us. Yeah, thanks so much.

Thanks for listening. Remember, starting tomorrow, you'll only be able to find our in-depth coverage in the Dateline True Crime Weekly feed. So make sure to follow us there. And if you want to read the latest developments and analysis from inside the courtroom, check out the NBC newsletter, Diddy on Trial.

Go to NBCNews.com slash Diddy to find that. On Trial is produced by Frannie Kelly with help from the Dateline True Crime Weekly team. Our senior producer is Liz Brown-Kurloff. Original music by Jesse McGinty. Paul Ryan is executive producer and Liz Cole is senior executive producer of Dateline.

Thank you.

Get 15% off plus a $40 bonus gift when you subscribe at ProLunLife.com slash Pandora promo. These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. Products are not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent disease. See site for details.