Witness testimony resumes in sex trafficking case

The trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs continues in Manhattan federal court, where the 55-year-old hip-hop mogul is facing charges of sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy and transportation to engage in prostitution.

Federal prosecutors say that for decades, Combs abused, threatened and coerced women to participate in marathon sexual encounters called “freak offs,” and used his business empire, along with guns, kidnapping and arson, to conceal his crimes.

Dawn Richard, one of the singers of the girl group Danity Kane, and Kerry Morgan, Cassie Ventura’s former best friend, testified on Monday. Richard and Morgan said they each witnessed Combs physically assault Ventura on multiple occasions.

Morgan also testified that Combs choked her and hit her with a wooden hanger. “I had a concussion. I was dizzy. I vomited a few times,” Morgan said in her testimony.

Last week, Ventura spent four days on the witness stand, telling the court her decade-long relationship with Combs was marked by violence and physical abuse. Ventura, who is eight months pregnant, described in detail the drug-fueled “freak offs” that would take days to recover from. Jurors were also shown a 2016 surveillance video of Combs hitting, kicking and dragging Ventura in the hallway of a Los Angeles hotel.

Combs has pleaded not guilty. If convicted, he could face life in prison. He is being held without bail in a Brooklyn jail. A jury of 12 New Yorkers and six alternates will decide his fate. The trial is expected to last at least eight weeks.

You can read our coverage of week one of the trial here. Follow the live blog below for the latest updates on the trial, culled from various reporters and news organizations in the courtroom, including the Associated Press, CNN, NBC News and the Washington Post.

If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233). Find more resources here.