Cassie Ventura, ex-girlfriend of Sean Combs, takes the stand in trial
In day two of the Sean Combs sex crimes trial, Combs’ ex-girlfriend provided emotional testimony from the witness stand.
Casandra Ventura Fine has returned to the stand in the trial of her ex-boyfriend Sean “Diddy” Combs with new details about the abuse she allegedly faced.
Combs’ sex-crimes trial continued on May 14, kicking off with her second day of testimony. Professionally known as Cassie, the singer has laid bare the most significant incidents during their decadelong relationship, including her participation in alleged drug-fueled sex parties labeled “freak offs,” the physical and emotional abuse she said she faced just a few years into their relationship, and the violence she allegedly witnessed while with Combs.
Here are the biggest moments from her testimony so far.
Cassie recalls Suge Knight incident with Diddy
Ventura Fine told the court that Combs left his house amid one “freak off” in Los Angeles after being tipped off by a bodyguard that former Death Row Records CEO Suge Knight was at a diner nearby. Knight is one of Combs’ longtime music industry rivals, with tensions dating back to the 1990s around the deaths of Knight’s labelmate and West Coast rapper Tupac Shakur and Combs’ rap protégé the Notorious B.I.G.
Ventura Fine said she told Combs, “Please don’t do anything stupid” as she screamed and cried in fear.
The testimony came as Ventura Fine was talking about weapons allegedly in Combs’ homes. She said she was handed a gun at the time to hold in her purse, though she did not say Combs gave her the weapon. She added Comb and his security guard “D-Roc” packed guns from his safe and put them on their bodies before they left.
Kerry Morgan and Cassie: Singer testifies that model friend endured abuse
Ventura Fine’s former friend Kerry Morgan was named in court on May 13, after the model was mentioned in her 2023 civil lawsuit involving Combs. In one alleged incident cited in the lawsuit, Combs entered Ventura Fine’s house unannounced and got in an “altercation” with Morgan.
During the alleged incident, Combs threw a hanger at Morgan, later paying a settlement after the fact. Cassie also paid additional funds to Morgan after the incident, but their relationship has been “strained” since.
Voyeurism meaning
The singer said she was 22, and within the first six months to a year of their relationship, when Combs introduced her to “freak offs.” He described it as voyeurism, where he would hire an escort “so that I could perform for Sean,” the singer told the court May 13. She testified that it was “a fantasy that he had,” and he liked watching her interact with another man, whether it was a stranger, an escort or a dancer.
“I was shocked. I wasn’t expecting that,” she said. “I didn’t want to upset him if I told him I was scared of it.”
Voyeurism is the practice or sexual interest in observing others in intimate moments, including during sexual activity and undressing.
If you or someone you know has experienced sexual violence, RAINN’s National Sexual Assault Hotline offers free, confidential, 24/7 support to survivors and their loved ones in English and Spanish at: 800.656.HOPE (4673) and Hotline.RAINN.org and en Español RAINN.org/es.
Contributing: USA TODAY staff
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