Crime House Daily
Episode: Night Watch: Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Part 2
Date: December 16, 2025
Host: Katie Ring

Episode Overview

This episode continues Crime House’s deep dive into the ongoing trial of music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs, focusing on the gripping testimony of his former girlfriend, Cassie Ventura. As the prosecution’s star witness, Cassie’s account is central to a watershed racketeering case involving allegations of trafficking, coercion, and multi-year abuse. Katie Ring methodically walks through the trial’s opening statements, Cassie’s harrowing testimony, and the social dynamics surrounding the case, highlighting issues of power, trauma, and public misconception about domestic violence.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Context & Stakes of the Trial

• Charges Against Combs:
  • Racketeering, conspiracy, trafficking, transportation to engage in prostitution ([02:53]).
• Cassie’s Role:
  • Prosecution’s primary witness; her civil suit triggered the federal investigation ([02:53]).
  • Testified while eight months pregnant; delivered her third child days after finishing ([02:53]).

2. Opening Statements and Court Atmosphere

• Prosecution’s Framing:

  • Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily Johnson characterized Combs as using "his fame, power, and the very empire he built to control and abuse multiple victims for 20 years."
    • “This case is not about a celebrity's private sexual preferences. It's about coercive crimes.” (Johnson, [02:53])
  • Previewed testimony on “drug-fueled freak off encounters” and described a pattern of manipulative, violent behavior.

• Defense Tactics:

  • Attorney Tenney Garrigus deployed classic victim-blaming narratives, focusing on Combs’ “bad temper” amplified by drug and alcohol use.
    • “Sean Combs is a complicated man, but this is not a complicated case. This case is about love, jealousy, infidelity, and money.” (Garrigus, [02:53])
  • Admitted to evidence of domestic violence but argued, “domestic violence and sex trafficking are not the same thing, and he is not on trial for domestic violence.”
  • Suggested Cassie stayed because “she enjoyed everything she gained from their relationships,” downplaying the abuse’s impact.

• Katie’s Analysis:

  • Katie Ring pushes back, explaining how these arguments ignore the nuances and realities of domestic violence and coercive control.
    • “Saying that she didn’t [leave] because of the money and connections is taking out all of the nuance and the core of what domestic violence really is and how it actually works.” ([02:53])

3. Cassie Ventura’s Testimony: Childhood to Industry Entrapment

• Initial Relationship & Grooming ([11:46]):

  • Met Diddy at 19, signed to a restrictive 10-album Bad Boy contract.
  • Diddy quickly moved to isolate and exert control—insisted on paternal nicknames and on Cassie quitting her existing relationship.
  • (“He heard one of her songs playing...brought her into Bad Boy Records…before he manipulated and coerced her into a, quote, romantic relationship.” [11:46])

• Escalation of Control and Abuse:

  • Forced drug use as a form of control.
  • Financial dependency cemented via career manipulation—threatened her career would be over if she left.
  • Physical violence began early and escalated. (E.g., forced kiss at 21st birthday, followed by manipulation and threats.)

• Isolation and Complicity:

  • Witness testimony (George Kaplan, assistant): Others often witnessed abuse and averted their gaze out of fear ([11:46]).
  • "Isn't anybody seeing this?" she yelled during an incident on a private jet. No one responded. ([11:46])

• Physical & Psychological Harm:

  • Frequent beatings (“too frequently” when asked in court), kept in hotel rooms post-beatings, security prevented her from leaving ([11:46]).
  • Developed memory problems; medical information sent directly to Combs.
  • Cycle of abuse evident – “He tried to make it up to Cassie by showering her with gifts. In reality, this is just a tactic that all abusers use in the cycle of abuse.” ([11:46])

4. "Freak Offs," Voyeurism, & Extreme Degradation ([19:47])

• Sexual Coercion & Abuse:

  • Combs’ voyeurism: Paid male sex workers to have sex with Cassie while he watched and filmed (“freak offs”).
    • “I just remember my stomach falling to my butt. Just the nervousness and confusion in that moment.” (Cassie, [19:47])
    • “I didn’t feel like I could say no…didn’t know what no could be or what no could turn into.” (Cassie, [19:47])
  • Forced participation, frequent use of drugs to numb herself.
  • Degrading acts: Forced to be urinated on while filmed; compelled to take part even while ill.

• Lasting Damage:

  • Psychological trauma, opioid addiction to cope.
  • Career stagnation: Combs never released the hundreds of songs she recorded; all time consumed by “freak offs.”
  • Threatened with release of explicit videos—fear for career, family, reputation.

• Violence & Intimidation (Multiple Incidents):

  • Attacks detailed: thrown into a bed frame (needed surgery), public humiliation (forced to watch tapes on plane), violently kicked off yacht at Cannes.
  • Harrowing quote after sending a photo of her injured face to Combs: “You don’t know when to stop. You pushed it too far.” ([19:47])

5. Attempted Escape & End of Relationship

• Leaving Combs:

  • By 2018, Cassie experienced PTSD, blackouts, sleepwalking.
  • In a final meeting after breakup, Combs forced his way into her apartment and sexually assaulted her ([19:47]).
  • Despite a mutual closure dinner, he assaulted her afterwards—even after breaking up.

• Long-term Trauma and Recovery:

  • Cassie struggled with suicidality and drug addiction after leaving.
  • Alex Fine, her new partner, provided crucial support. Their love story provided a rare bright spot amid trauma.
  • “Alex was caring, supportive and empowered Cassie to make her own decisions…That dynamic didn’t change when she finally got Combs out of her life.” ([19:47])

• Public Perception and Media Storm:

  • 2022: Combs thanked Cassie on BET Awards for “getting him through dark times” (public largely unaware of extent of abuse at the time).
  • Cassie’s “why now” for suing: Relived trauma while shooting a music video, attempted suicide, entered trauma therapy, then decided to confront Combs legally ([19:47]).

6. Civil Suit, Settlement, and Shock Video

• Civil Suit Details:

  • Attempted private settlement with Combs failed (“he basically laughed her off”), leading to civil lawsuit ([19:47]).
  • $20 million civil settlement—Diddy denied wrongdoing, but paid out quickly.

• Key Evidence Leaked:

  • 2024: Leaked hotel video showing Diddy beating Cassie. Shifted public sentiment.
  • Cassie’s Instagram response:
    • “Thank you for all of the love and support...The outpouring of love has created a place for my younger self to settle and feel safe now. But this is only the beginning. Domestic violence is the issue. It broke me down to someone I never thought I would become. With a lot of hard work I am better today, but I will always be recovering from my past.” ([19:47])

7. Social Commentary and Reflection

• Katie’s Reflection on Victim-Blaming:

  • Criticizes persistent myths about domestic violence, particularly blaming Cassie for staying.
    • “People say she could have left at any time, they fail to remember that when she requested to leave, the security guards refused and kept her locked away in the room.” ([11:46])
  • Cites Cassie’s Instagram plea for public to “open your heart to believing victims the first time.”

• Witnesses and Upcoming Testimony:

  • Episode ends by previewing next episode: defense cross-examination and witnesses who corroborate Cassie’s abuse claims ([19:47]).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily Johnson:
  “This case is not about a celebrity's private sexual preferences. It's about coercive crimes.” ([02:53])

• Defense Attorney Tenney Garrigus:
  “Sean Combs is a complicated man, but this is not a complicated case. This case is about love, jealousy, infidelity, and money.” ([02:53])
  “You may think my client is a terrible person, but that domestic violence and sex trafficking are not the same thing, and he is not on trial for domestic violence.” ([02:53])

• Cassie Ventura (Testimony):
  “I just remember my stomach falling to my butt. Just the nervousness and confusion in that moment.” ([19:47])
  “I didn’t feel like I could say no…didn’t know what no could be or what no could turn into.” ([19:47])
  “Too frequently.” — On how often Diddy became violent ([11:46])
  “I feared for my career. I feared for my family. It’s just embarrassing. It’s horrible and disgusting. No one should do that to anyone.” ([19:47])

• Katie Ring (Commentary):
  “Saying that she didn’t [leave] because of the money and connections is taking out all of the nuance and the core of what domestic violence really is and how it actually works.” ([02:53])

• Cassie’s Instagram (after the abuse video leaked):
  “The outpouring of love has created a place for my younger self to settle and feel safe now. But this is only the beginning. Domestic violence is the issue. It broke me down to someone I never thought I would become. With a lot of hard work I am better today, but I will always be recovering from my past.” ([19:47])

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Opening Statements Recap: 02:53 – 11:46
• Cassie Ventura’s Testimony: Background and Abuse: 11:46 – 19:47
• Freak Offs and Dehumanizing Violence: 19:47 – 35:00
• Effects on Career, Attempted Escape, and Recovery: 35:00 – 46:00
• Civil Case, Evidence, and Public Reaction: 46:00 – end

Conclusion

Katie Ring’s sensitive but unflinching walk through Cassie Ventura’s testimony reveals a horrifying pattern of manipulation and abuse, the complicity that power breeds, and the uphill battle survivors face in both the courts and the court of public opinion. Cassie’s story is not just the backbone of the prosecution’s case but a call to reexamine how society views agency, abuse, and the responsibilities of bystanders. The episode closes by teasing the next episode, which will cover the defense's cross and additional corroborating witnesses, as well as the still-untold story of the Kid Cudi arson accusation.

Stay tuned for tomorrow’s episode and follow for live updates as the Combs trial continues to unfold.