Cassie Ventura testified Tuesday during Sean “Diddy” Combs’ trial and said she told Combs not to do “anything stupid” when he left a “freak-off” to confront Marion Hugh “Suge” Knight Jr.
Why It Matters
Prosecutors allege that Combs ran a criminal operation that trafficked and abused women for over two decades. He is accused of organizing drug-fueled parties called “freak offs,” where escorts and others were allegedly coerced into performing 𝓈ℯ𝓍ual acts.
Combs faces charges of 𝓈ℯ𝓍 trafficking, racketeering and transportation to engage in prostitution. Prosecutors allege he used his influence to lure and abuse women, with the help of employees and business partners. The trial, which began Monday, has already featured disturbing testimony from Ventura and is expected to continue for weeks.
Ventura said Combs would “watch me with the other person and actually direct us on 
what we were doing.” She said she was repeatedly assaulted during their time together.What to Know
Ventura said she was on a break from the alleged coerced 𝓈ℯ𝓍ual activity when Damion “D-Roc” Butler informed Combs that Knight was at a local diner. Combs “quickly packed up and drove down there,” Ventura said.
“I was crying. I was screaming ‘Please don’t do anything stupid,'” she said. “I was just really nervous for them, what it meant, what they were going to do.”
Ventura said Combs left his Los Angeles home despite her pleas. She alleged that Combs and a bodyguard put on black clothing and armed themselves.
“It’s like I wasn’t even there,” Ventura said.(Left) Sean “Diddy” Combs at the amfAR Gala Dinner and Auction held on May 22, 2008 during the 61st Annual Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France. (Right) Music producer Marion Hugh “Suge” Knight Jr. arrives… zz/DP/AAD/STAR MAX/IPx and Photo by Jesse Grant/Getty Images
When he got back, she said Combs would not tell her what happened or if he met Knight at the diner.
Cassie Ventura is a singer and model who signed with Combs’ Bad Boy Records in 2006. Their relationship lasted over a decade. In 2023, she filed a lawsuit alleging rape, physical abuse, and coercion into 𝓈ℯ𝓍 acts with other men. The case was settled a day later but prompted additional lawsuits and further criminal investigation.
Ventura is a key prosecution witness in the Combs trial. On Tuesday, she said Combs “controlled” her by using videos he shot of her as “blackmail materials.”Who Is Suge Knight?
Knight co-founded Death Row Records, a competing record label to Combs’ Bad Boy Records. Death Row Records has launched stars like Dr. Dre and Tupac Shakur.
In 2018, Knight pleaded no contest to voluntary manslaughter in a fatal hit-and-run and was sentenced to 28 years in prison.
What People Are Saying
Ventura, during her testimony at Combs’ trial: “There were violent arguments that would usually result in some sort of physical abuse. Dragging, different things of that nature.”
Defense attorney Teny Geragos, in the defense’s opening statement: “We will not shy away from the things he did, but we will not own the things he did not do. He is physical, he is a drug user, you may know of his love of 𝑏𝑎𝑏𝑦 oil. Is that a federal crime? No.”What’s Next
The trial is ongoing, with more witnesses expected to testify. The trial is expected to last eight to 10 weeks. Combs is facing a maximum sentence of life in prison.
