Kid Cudi testifies about relationship with Cassie Ventura and home break-in

The trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs wrapped up its second week on Thursday in Manhattan federal court, where rapper Kid Cudi testified about his relationship with Combs’s ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura in the sex trafficking case.

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. The 55-year-old hip-hop mogul has been charged with sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy and transportation to engage in prostitution.

Kid Cudi — whose real name is Scott Mescudi — told the court that he started dating Ventura in 2011 when she told him that she and Combs had split up. Kid Cudi testified that after Combs found out he was seeing Ventura, Combs went looking for him and broke into his home. Kid Cudi also testified that his Porsche was later set on fire with a Molotov cocktail in his driveway. The rapper said he eventually confronted Combs during a meeting at a private club in Los Angeles, where Combs denied setting fire to his car.

Other witnesses testifying on Thursday included George Kaplan, Combs’s former executive assistant who quit after witnessing several violent incidents; Mylah Morales, a makeup artist who saw Ventura with facial injuries following an altercation with Combs at a Los Angeles hotel; Frederick Zemmour, a hotel manager in Beverly Hills who testified that a room would require deep cleaning after Combs’s frequent stays; and Joshua Croft, a federal computer forensics agent who said he extracted data from three of Ventura’s laptops.

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.

Court will not be in session on Friday. Testimony will resume on Tuesday, May 27, since Monday is Memorial Day.

Follow the blog below for live updates culled from various journalists 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.