The first day of jury selection in the long awaited trial of Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs did not disappoint – and has set the scene for a blockbuster of a court case.
In Monday’s episode of Daily Mail’s The Trial of Diddy podcast, we break down all the highlights from Manhattan federal court.
The celebrity names that could come up included actors Mike Myers, Michael B. Jordan and Lauren London.
Some other famous names in the music industry were also revealed, including Michelle Williams of Destiny’s Child, producer Dallas Austin and choreographer Laurieann Gibson.
While not all celebrities who were named on the list will be called to testify, jurors were asked if they knew or had any connections to the potential star-studded line up.
‘I think it’s going to be a long, slow process this week, but remember all of the jurors already know what case they are here for because they have already filled out the written questionnaires,’ said Renato Stabile, jury selection specialist and managing director at New York-based Dubin Research & Consulting.
‘That is unusual. Everyone has had plenty of time to think about whether or not they want to be on this jury.
‘If they don’t want to be here, they will walk in with excuses already formulated. If they do want to be here, they will be sure to tell the court that they can be fair and impartial.’
In a prior Trial of Diddy episode, Stabile also discussed how jury consultants such as himself are hired to identify ‘stealth jurors’ — individuals who purposely try to get on a jury for other purposes, such as writing a book once the trial ends.
Combs’ attorneys also added a ‘secret weapon’ to the defense team — famed jury consultant Linda Moreno, DailyMail.com confirmed exclusively.
Moreno is best known for consulting on high-profile terrorism cases, including the 2005 trial of Sami Al-Arian, a Florida college professor indicted on charges under the Patriot Act.
Moreno was instrumental in picking the jury that ended up acquitting Al-Arian on 8 counts and deadlocking on the remaining 9 counts.
Moreno’s skills at dissecting jurors’ backgrounds could be an essential key for picking a jury.
On Monday, US District Court Arun Judge Subramanian also announced jurors will not be sequestered during this 10-week trial.
Stabile told DailyMail.com he is not surprised at that decision.
‘Sequestration is really reserved where there a credible threats of violence, or jury tampering.
‘This happened years ago with the OJ Simpson trial. Sequestration is very usually because given the jury is already going to be anonymous, the court fells that is sufficient protection.
He added, ‘You also have to keep in mind that if you tell jurors that you will be sequestered for 10 weeks, most people will want to drop out. People have lives and it’s an incredible burden to sequester a jury.’
Combs also made an appearance, but not dressed in the usual jail garb. On Monday, he was dressed in a ‘preppy look’ with gray pants, a navy crewneck and a sweater over his crisp white shirt.
While Combs is facing potential jurors, his peers in the music and entertainment world are across town preparing for the annual Met Gala ball — an event the Bad Boy mogul attended regularly in prior years with former girlfriend, Cassie Ventura.
‘I guarantee you that if Diddy wasn’t in court right now behind bars, he would be one of the co-chairs of the MET Gala,’ said Trial of Diddy co-host Kayla Brantley.
‘You have Louis Hamilton, you have LeBron James. Lots of successful Black men because the theme this year is ‘tailoring black style, the black dandy style.’ So this really would be Diddy’s time to shine.’
Ventura, who is one of the alleged victims in the criminal complaint, is expected to be one of the prosecution’s key witnesses in the trial.
For the biggest updates direct from court, search for The Trial of Diddy wherever you get your podcasts now.