Sean “Diddy” Combs’ prosecutors are having trouble contacting a key witness for the trial, who they now say “may not show up,” according to the New York Post.
The accuser, one of five witnesses set to testify, “does not live locally” and the prosecution is also having trouble reaching her lawyer. Four other witnesses include Combs’ ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura, and three Jane Doe’s.
Just a week before going MIA, the missing witness, dubbed “Victim-3,” was motivated enough to tell the courts that she would reveal her real name during the trial, dropping the pseudonym she’d been using.
Though Ventura’s testimony is a key component to the prosecution’s case, Victim-3’s account would establish a long-term pattern of abuse by Combs, as she was set to reveal “very personal and explosive details,” and testify that the disgraced rapper “sexually exploited” her for decades.
Now, the prosecution’s attorneys say they “do not know whether she intends to appear.” Her attorney is hard to reach on account of “personal issues.”
The potential setback comes as Combs’ trial for sex trafficking, racketeering, and prostitution charges wraps up its jury selection and prepares to kick off its opening statements on Monday May 12. Combs turned down a plea deal just before trial that could have saved him some jail time. He faces life in prison if he is convicted.
The former mogul spent months in prison following his September arrest, after he was denied bail three times on suspicion his release would pose a “high risk” for “witness tampering.”
A court filing ahead of the trial accused Combs of using jailhouse communications to influence witnesses— including requesting authorized-contact family members and defense counsel to add other unauthorized individuals to three-way calls and using other inmates’ phone access codes.
For now, the prosecution may have to go forward without its star witness, which may detract from the strength of its case. The team has until the end of the week to confirm her appearance at trial.
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