The Idaho student murders: new details. Karen Read's voicemails. And Sean Combs's trial begins.

Summary

Dateline NBC: The Idaho Student Murders, Karen Read’s Voicemails, and Sean Combs’s Trial Begins
Release Date: May 8, 2025

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Dateline NBC celebrates its milestone 50th episode with a compelling lineup that dives deep into three major stories: the ongoing investigation into the Idaho student murders, the high-stakes retrial of Karen Read, and the sensational trial of music mogul Sean Combs. This comprehensive summary captures the essence of each segment, highlighting key discussions, insights, and significant developments.

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1. The Idaho Student Murders: New Developments

Hosts: Keith Morrison and Shane Bishop
Timestamp Highlights: [01:46], [03:15]-[08:26]

Dateline NBC revisits the tragic case of the four University of Idaho students—Maddie Mogan, Kaylee Goncalves, Zanna Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin—who were fatally stabbed in their Moscow, Idaho residence in November 2022. Producers Keith Morrison and Shane Bishop provide an in-depth analysis of the investigation surrounding suspected killer Brian Kohberger, a criminology student.

Key Points:

• Targeted Victim Theory:
  “They believe the target that night was Maddie Mogan. One reason they believe that is because the killer seems to have gone immediately up to Maddie's room.” ([03:54] Keith Morrison)

• Mother’s Narrow Escape:
  Shane Bishop shares an emotional interview with the mother of another student who narrowly avoided being present during the murders.
  “She just cried in her bed. She didn't want to talk about it.” ([05:06] Shane Bishop)

• Evidence and Forensics:
  New evidence includes Kohberger’s phone pinging near the crime scene multiple times before the murders.
  “COBUBERGER's cell phone used a tower that served an area within 100 meters of the murder scene between July 9 and November 7.” ([06:17] Keith Morrison)

• Security Footage:
  Exclusive footage reveals a white car near the crime scene at the time of the murders, similar to Kohberger’s white Elantra.
  “There is certainly some pretty dramatic evidence of a white car in the vicinity of the crime scene right around the time it happened and afterwards.” ([06:54] Andrea Canning)

• Social Interactions:
  Insights into Kohberger’s social life reveal awkward interactions at a local pool party, indicating his attempt to integrate into the community.
  “He seemed a little awkward, kind of like you might expect for a PhD student who didn't know anyone.” ([07:33] Shane Bishop)

Conclusion:
Keith and Shane tease their upcoming special episode titled "Terrible Night on King Road," promising never-before-seen footage and exclusive interviews that shed new light on the case.

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2. Karen Read’s Voicemails in Court

Host: Josh Mankiewicz
Guest: Sue Simpson (DATELINE Producer)
Timestamp Highlights: [09:07]-[18:33]

The retrial of Karen Read, accused of fatally hitting her police officer boyfriend John O'Keefe with her SUV during a nor'easter, takes center stage. This segment delves into the prosecution's use of Read's explicit voicemails and the defense's counterarguments regarding evidence collection.

Key Points:

• Prosecution's Focus on Voicemails:
  The prosecution presents voicemails where Read expresses intense anger toward O'Keefe.
  “John, I'm here with your fucking kids, and nobody knows what the fuck you are a fucking pervert.” ([17:11])
  “I hit him, I hit him.” ([17:24])

• Defense’s Counterarguments on Evidence Collection:
  The use of red Solo cups to collect blood evidence is heavily scrutinized.
  “They clearly want to show the jury that this evidence could be tainted.” ([16:59] Shane Bishop)

• Testimonies from Emergency Personnel:
  Firefighter-paramedic Katie McLaughlin recounts Read’s repeated statements, “I hit him,” raising questions about her intent and state of mind during the incident.
  “He exceeds. So she repeated, I hit him.” ([12:27] Josh Mankiewicz)

• Jury's Reaction to Voicemails:
  Jurors maintained impassive expressions despite the emotional weight of Read's voicemails.
  “They listen. Their faces are impassive.” ([17:52] Shane Bishop)

• Courtroom Dynamics:
  Defense attorney Alan Jackson questions the immediate handling of Read after her statements, challenging the prosecution's interpretation of her words as a confession.
  “If you wanted to simplify this case, Andrea, and boil it down to a few critical points, this would be one.” ([13:19] Shane Bishop)

Conclusion:
The segment underscores the complexities of Read's case, highlighting the tension between the prosecution's emotional evidence and the defense's technical challenges regarding evidence integrity.

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3. Sean Combs’s Trial Begins

Host: Josh Mankiewicz
Reporter: Chloe Melas
Timestamp Highlights: [18:57]-[29:36]

The music industry titan Sean Combs, also known as Diddy, faces severe charges including racketeering, sex trafficking, and transportation to engage in prostitution. Chloe Melas provides an extensive report from Lower Manhattan, detailing the case's progress and courtroom atmosphere.

Key Points:

• Charges and Allegations:
  Combs is accused of orchestrating illegal activities over 20 years, involving the abuse and exploitation of victims through violence and blackmail.
  “Prosecutors say they can prove that over a span of 20 years, the 55-year-old physically, emotionally and sexually abused his alleged victims.” ([21:10] Josh Mankiewicz)

• Victim Testimonies:
  Cassie Ventura, a key witness who previously filed a civil lawsuit against Combs, is set to testify about her experiences of abuse and coercion.
  “She was 19 and he was 37 years old when they first met and she had signed a 10 album record deal with him.” ([23:26] Chloe Melas)

• Prosecutors vs. Defense Strategies:
  Prosecutors aim to depict Combs as operating a coercive and abusive network, while the defense argues that all relationships were consensual and part of Combs’s lifestyle.
  “Combs's defense is saying everything was consensual, that all the charges against him deal with women who were in consensual relationships with him.” ([25:55] Chloe Melas)

• Jury Selection Process:
  The selection process includes extensive vetting, with questions focusing on jurors' views on domestic abuse and their familiarity with celebrity names, some of which sparked public surprise.
  “What have you heard about the trial. They were given a list called People and Places.” ([26:00] Chloe Melas)

• Courtroom Presence and Anticipation:
  The trial is anticipated to be the largest of 2025, with continuous live coverage and upcoming exclusive bonus episodes titled "On Trial" featuring daily updates from Chloe.
  “This is going to be explosive next week when she takes the stand.” ([24:18] Chloe Melas)

Conclusion:
Sean Combs’s trial is shaping up to be a landmark case, with significant media attention and high-profile legal teams. Chloe Melas commits to providing ongoing coverage, ensuring listeners stay informed as the trial unfolds.

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Final Thoughts

Dateline NBC’s 50th episode masterfully intertwines three gripping narratives, each offering deep dives into high-stakes legal battles and unresolved criminal investigations. Through expert interviews, emotional testimonies, and exclusive evidence, the episode provides listeners with a nuanced understanding of each case's complexities and the human stories behind the headlines.

For those eager to explore these stories further, notable upcoming episodes include "Terrible Night on King Road" and an in-depth feature on Sean Combs’s trial scheduled for the following Sunday.

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Notable Quotes:

• “They believe the target that night was Maddie Mogan.” — Keith Morrison ([03:54])
• “I hit him, I hit him.” — Karen Read ([17:24])
• “Combs’s defense is saying everything was consensual.” — Chloe Melas ([25:55])
• “This is going to be explosive next week when she takes the stand.” — Chloe Melas ([24:18])

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Stay Tuned:
Don’t miss the upcoming special episodes and in-depth analyses as Dateline NBC continues to unravel these intense and emotionally charged stories.

Transcript

[Andrea Canning]

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[Josh Mankiewicz]

Good morning, Jim. How are you? I'm good. You're listening to dateline's morning meeting. They believe the fire was set to destroy evidence. Producers have a lot to talk about, arrests, courtroom drama and breaking crime news around the country. There's a lot of dirt there. The extraordinary with the couple, I mean, it is absolutely war of the Roses in this house. Welcome to DATELINE True Crime Weekly. It's May 8th, and we've officially hit our 50th episode. Here's what's on our docket. In Dedham, Massachusetts, it's week three in Karen Reid's retrial. We've got the latest on the prosecution's case, including a batch of angry, explicit voicemails from Karen played in court.

[Shane Bishop]

Karen made dozens of calls to John o' Keefe's cell phone. And a lot of calls just, you know, went to voicemail. And man, they were fiery.

[Josh Mankiewicz]

Inside a federal courthouse in downtown Manhattan, hundreds of prospective jurors are being narrowed down to the 12 who will sit in judgment of a music legend.

[Andrea Canning]

Jury selection is officially underway in the.

[Josh Mankiewicz]

Sex trafficking trial of Sean Diddy Combs. But before all that, we've got two very special guests, Keith Morrison and DATELINE producer Shane Bishop. They're here to tell us about their groundbreaking investigation into a crime that stunned the nation, the murders of four University of Idaho students in 2022. Within days of the tragic discovery that the students had been fatally stabbed in their beds in the college town of Moscow, Idaho, DATELINE producers were on the ground covering the story. For the next two years, Keith and his team followed the case at every turn, reporting on the manhunt, the arrest of the suspected killer, criminology student Brian Kohber and the family's painful wait for answers. Kohberger's trial is set to begin in 12 weeks, and the judge has entered a not guilty plea on his behalf. Now Keith is back with DATELINE's latest reporting on the case. From never before publicly seen security footage to exclusive interviews with people who crossed paths with Kohberger, it's the kind of insight you won't find anywhere else. Keith and Shane, thank you so much for coming on to talk about this.

[Andrea Canning]

Our pleasure, I'm sure.

[Josh Mankiewicz]

Just remind us, who were the students who were killed in the house in those early hours of November 13, 2022?

[Keith Morrison]

So the four students that were murdered were Maddie Mogan, Kaylee Goncalves, Zanna Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin.

[Andrea Canning]

Two of them were about ready to spring into the world, just about almost finished with their studies. Two were not quite so far along. All were, you know, lauded by their families and by their parents as responsible kids who were nevertheless, you know, going to college and having a good time as colle as well.

[Josh Mankiewicz]

Shane, there's always been a question about whether the killer was targeting one of the students in particular. What did you find out about that?

[Keith Morrison]

So we've confirmed with investigative sources that. That they believe the target that night was Maddie Mogan. One reason they believe that is because the killer seems to have gone immediately up to Maddie's room. So he was familiar in some way with where that that girl's room was. As we all know by now, the killer found Kaylee with Maddie. These same sources tell us that there was a struggle upstairs in Maddie's room between Maddie, Kaylee and the killer. And the noise of that confrontation, the. The thumping is the words that our source used, got the attention of Zanna on the floor below. So the belief is by these sources that she went up to investigate the thumping upstairs. The killer got interrupted and then chased Zanna downstairs.

[Josh Mankiewicz]

So just awful, awful final moments for these poor students. You found out that there was another girl who was supposed to be there that night. But lucky for her, she had a change of plans. And, Keith, you had a very emotional interview with her mom. Let's take a listen.

[Andrea Canning]

How soon was it that you thought, my God, she was going to be there?

[Shane Bishop]

I didn't think about that right away. All I could think about was the kids.

[Josh Mankiewicz]

But she just cried in her bed. She didn't want to talk about it.

[Shane Bishop]

We just cried together for a long time.

[Andrea Canning]

Makes you sad, too, doesn't it?

[Josh Mankiewicz]

It does. Sorry.

[Shane Bishop]

Wow.

[Andrea Canning]

Well, I mean, imagine this. You've got Kids yourself, Andrea. And you know what? How, you know, desperate a mother is to keep her children safe. Her daughter was intending to go that weekend to spend several days with her best friend, Maddie Mogan, and only at the very last minute, she had to stay at home to watch over the family dog. And if she hadn't, she would have gone to Moscow, Idaho. She would have been in that house when the murders occurred and probably would have been sleeping in that same bedroom where the murders occurred.

[Josh Mankiewicz]

That is chilling. Something else that you learned from court records, which you will go more in depth in the episode. You discovered that Kohberger's phone pinged off a cell tower close to the student's house before the murders.

[Keith Morrison]

So it's been discussed in court documents that the FBI's CAST team, this cellular area survey team, has found 23 instances in which Coburger's cell phone used a tower that served an area within 100 meters of the murder scene between July 9 and November 7. We have some additional reporting on that that hasn't been out there, some specifics that we'll disclose on Friday.

[Josh Mankiewicz]

So there is some never before publicly seen security video which you'll show. Describe this video for us.

[Andrea Canning]

You have to see it to get a full appreciation of it. But. But there is certainly some pretty dramatic evidence of a white car in the vicinity of the crime scene right around the time it happened and afterwards.

[Josh Mankiewicz]

And you can't say for sure that it's Bryan Kohberger's car, but he owns a car similar, at least looks similar to what's in that video, right?

[Keith Morrison]

Well, we know Kohberger owns a white Elantra.

[Josh Mankiewicz]

Your team tracked down people who crossed paths with Kohberger, including some guests at a pool party he attended. What did you learn from these people?

[Keith Morrison]

We know that Kohberger attended a pool party on July 9th in Moscow, which was about 10 days after he'd arrived in Washington from Pennsylvania. One of the people we talked to was a woman named Holly, who had also at some point been a graduate student far from home. And so she felt some responsibility to, you know, talk to Coburger, try to welcome him to the area.

[Josh Mankiewicz]

He seemed a little awkward, kind of like you might expect for a PhD student who didn't know anyone at the.

[Shane Bishop]

Party and was maybe trying his best.

[Josh Mankiewicz]

To kind of get out there and.

[Shane Bishop]

Be social and make friends.

[Keith Morrison]

She told him about a hiking group that she was involved in. They exchanged numbers. The next day, Coburger texted her and said, hey, I'd like to get involved with this hiking group and then for some reason she just blew him off. She said. She said the universe intervened and I never returned that and still makes her shiver a little.

[Josh Mankiewicz]

Obviously in hindsight there's so much more reporting that your team did. It is a must see and it is called the Terrible Night on King Road and it airs this Friday on NBC at 9, 8 Central. Keith and Shane, thank you so much for just sharing all this information that you found.

[Andrea Canning]

Thank you Andrea.

[Keith Morrison]

Thank you.

[Josh Mankiewicz]

Up next, Karen Reid's voicemails get played in court and the defense has some questions about how police collected evidence and it involves red solo cups. If you work as a manufacturing facilities engineer, installing a new piece of equipment.

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Citizens, since we each upgraded to Xfinity in our homes, the WI fi has been booming. It's fair to say our town has officially become a boom town. Mayor, will I be able to drop into multiplayer gaming battles with low lag? The lag won't be an issue, but your questionable skills may be. And what if I have hundreds of devices on the WI Fi? Purely hypothetical. Seems like a lot, but sure, hundreds of devices all booming together with the Xfinity Gateway. Yes, friends and neighbors, with Xfinity, the WI fi is booming. Restrictions apply. Hey everyone, I'm Jenna Bush Hager from the Today show and I'm excited to share my podcast Open Book with Jenna. It is back for season two. Each week, celebrities, experts, friends and authors will share candid stories with me about their lives and new projects. Guests like Rebecca Yarros, Kristin Hannah, Ego Wodom, and more. Like a good book, you'll leave feeling inspired and entertained. Join me for my podcast, Open Book with Jenna. Listen now on Apple Podcasts in Dedham, Massachusetts. Karen Reed's second trial enters week. Reid is accused of hitting her police officer boyfriend John o' Keefe with her SUV after a night of drinking and leaving him to die in a nor' easter. Reid has pleaded not guilty. Her defense says she's being framed by law enforcement to cover up what they say is the truth about o' Keeffe's death. That Karen dropped him off at an after party at the home of another Boston police officer. There, the defense says he was beaten up, dragged outside, and left to die in the cold. This week, the prosecution turned its focus to the day o' Keefe's body was found and how the criminal investigation began. They also played some of the most explosive audio we've heard over the course of the trial so far. Angry, explicit voicemails Karen left for John o' Keefe. DATELINE producer Sue Simpson is here to fill us in on the latest. Welcome back to the podcast, Sue.

[Shane Bishop]

Happy to be here.

[Josh Mankiewicz]

Okay. And I have to ask, of course, did you win the lottery this week? Did you get a seat in the courtroom?

[Shane Bishop]

I am in the courtroom. It is so exciting.

[Josh Mankiewicz]

Oh, wow. Okay. Wow. This is big. All right. So court was back in session on Monday, and we heard from some of the law enforcement and emergency personnel at the scene. The prosecution called a firefighter paramedic to the stand, and prosecutor Hank Brennan had her describe what she saw that day.

[Shane Bishop]

That's right. So Brennan asked Katie McLaughlin about seeing Karen Reid at the scene, and McLaughlin testified that one of the firefighters there asked her to gather more information about what had happened. McLaughlin said she noticed Karen and she dec approach her.

[Josh Mankiewicz]

Did she say anything to you in addition to the typical background information that you would try to obtain from somebody? Yes.

[Andrea Canning]

What did she say?

[Josh Mankiewicz]

I asked if there had been any significant trauma that happened that preceded this, and she answered with a series of statements that she repeated. I hit him. I hit him. And, sue, that's not the first prosecution witness who has testified that they heard Karen say, I hit him.

[Shane Bishop]

You're absolutely right. And the defense, of course, maintains that what Karen said was, did I hit him or could I have hit him? That she wasn't making a statement. She was asking a question. But, you know, if you wanted to simplify this case, Andrea, and boil it down to a few critical points, this would be one. How will the jury interpret those few words, that handful of words? McLaughlin also testified that after Karen said, I hit him, Jen McCabe, who was standing right beside Karen, told her to calm down, stop talking, calm down.

[Josh Mankiewicz]

You're hysterical. So she repeated, I hit him. And a police officer asked her, said, you what? And she repeated it again, I hit him. And the officer then signaled for his sergeant to come down to the. The defense really pushed back on this in their cross examination. Alan Jackson, you know, star defense attorney from Los Angeles, what did he have to say about it?

[Shane Bishop]

Well, Jackson asked if McLaughlin was sure that Karen Wasn't asking a question. And Jackson asked if she was actually admitting to a crime, why didn't they arrest her right then and there?

[Josh Mankiewicz]

So they handcuffed her. No, no, no. Even though she just confessed in front of a police officer, according to you, that's what she said. I hit him, I hit him. It's my fault. I did it. That's a confession, correct? She said, I hit him, I hit him, I hit him, I hit him. And Officer Seraph just stands there and my client walks away.

[Andrea Canning]

Correct.

[Josh Mankiewicz]

You'd have to talk to Officer Saraf about that. The prosecution next called a witness who spoke to how evidence was collected at the scene. This was Lieutenant Paul Gallagher. He was one of the law enforcement officers who searched the crime scene after John o' Keefe had been taken to the hospital. What did he have to say?

[Shane Bishop]

So Gallagher testified that he was responsible for trying to preserve the scene in the midst of a snowstorm and that the weather conditions, those awful weather conditions made it difficult. And he actually testified that he didn't know it was a crime scene at the time.

[Josh Mankiewicz]

I decided to process the area where Mr. O' Keefe was found and try to find out why he had the medical episode he was. Was having. If you understood this to be a medical episode and at that point you didn't have any information it was a crime scene, why were you taking the time and effort to process the scene under these conditions? Because that's what we do. I think we had a duty and obligation to check around his where he was found and see if there was any explanation to what caused his medical condition. We've heard before about some of the unconventional methods used to collect evidence in the case. Gallagher was asked about those. Can you remind us how they picked up this evidence and what they picked up?

[Shane Bishop]

Yeah, unconventional is a good word for it. I mean, they actually used a leaf blower to reveal blood in the snow and red Solo cups to collect that blood.

[Josh Mankiewicz]

And what was the purpose of using the red Solo cups? They were plastic. They weren't going to leak. My thought was we could collect it, transport it, and transfer it to the crime lab who could extract the DNA however they saw best fit. Sue, the defense obviously seized on this, you know, making a big point about how the evidence was collected.

[Shane Bishop]

Jackson really did push him on that.

[Josh Mankiewicz]

The blood was stored in non sterile solo cups, correct?

[Chloe Melas]

Correct.

[Josh Mankiewicz]

We've agreed that those cups were not sealed. The cups themselves were not sealed. There was no cap, there was no plastic, plasticine, Saran Wrap, nothing put over the cups. Correct? That is correct. So they were open? Yes. They were not in an evidence bag. They were in a grocery bag, correct? They were, yes.

[Shane Bishop]

Jackson pointed out that having unsealed an unsecured biological material, his words was not within any normal protocol for securing evidence. They clearly want to show the jury that this evidence could be tainted. And if it's tainted, then how can they trust it, you know? And then that raises the possibility of reasonable doubt, which is exactly what they want to do.

[Josh Mankiewicz]

There was one more moment from the prosecution this week that was really striking. They played some voicemails that longtime listeners might remember from the last trial. Sue, remind us about those voicemails.

[Shane Bishop]

Yeah, you know, they were. They're so powerful, these voicemails. Karen made dozens of calls to John o' Keefe's cell phone after she dropped. Dropped him off. And a lot of calls just, you know, went to voicemail. And, man, they were fiery.

[Josh Mankiewicz]

And just a note, those voicemails have some explicit language. John, I'm here with your fucking kids, and nobody knows what the fuck you.

[Chloe Melas]

Are, you fucking pervert.

[Shane Bishop]

The prosecutor wants to show the jurors just how angry she was at him. She was calling him a loser.

[Josh Mankiewicz]

You're a fucking loser.

[Chloe Melas]

Fuck yourself.

[Shane Bishop]

She was saying, john, I hate.

[Josh Mankiewicz]

And so you were there. Did the jurors visibly react at all?

[Shane Bishop]

You know, the thing about these jurors are they really, for me at least, they don't show their emotions. They don't show their feelings. They listen. Their faces are impassive. I didn't notice a reaction there. Startling. I will tell you, they land with a startle because Karen is sitting right in court. And these angry, angry words of hers and the swearing, and clearly this is a woman who is passionate and has. Has lost control of herself. They land in a court with a huge bang. Now, the defense decided not to cross examine the investigator who found these voicemails and these calls. They just let her words go and they moved on.

[Josh Mankiewicz]

Well, this case just keeps getting more interesting, and I know we will have you back very soon. Sue, thank you so much for joining us again. Thanks, Andrea. Next up, the sex trafficking trial of pop legend Sean Combs is getting underway. We've got news from inside and outside the courtroom.

[Andrea Canning]

Hey, everybody, I'm Al Roker from the Today Show.

[Josh Mankiewicz]

Let's kick start your wellness journey with the all new Start Today app. Everything you need for a healthier you all in one place. Fitness challenges for all levels, meal plans that are easy and delicious and so much more.

[Andrea Canning]

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[Josh Mankiewicz]

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[Andrea Canning]

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[Josh Mankiewicz]

App Store on your Apple device now.

[Andrea Canning]

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[Josh Mankiewicz]

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[Chloe Melas]

Every morning brings a fresh new energy.

[Andrea Canning]

This is today.

[Chloe Melas]

And no matter what the day holds.

[Josh Mankiewicz]

We come to the Today show for all of it. When things are tough, we talk about it. When there's something to figure out, we dig into it. And when there's joy, we celebrate it. Because today is where it's all happening. We get the best start to every.

[Chloe Melas]

Morning because we start it together.

[Andrea Canning]

Watch the Today show with Savannah Guthrie and Craig Melvin, weekdays at 7am on NBC. Now they had the final answer. Or did they?

[Josh Mankiewicz]

Nothing has more suspense than at DATELINE Mystery, and no one wants to wait to find out what happens next. That's why everyone needs DATELINE Premium, where.

[Andrea Canning]

Listening is always ad free. You get the whole story and nothing but the story. Or do you? Yes, actually you do.

[Josh Mankiewicz]

Subscribe now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or dateline premium.com for our final story. This week, we're heading to a federal courthouse in New York City, the same courthouse where Martha Stewart was tried, Bernie Madoff pleaded guilty and Sam Bankman Fried was convicted. This week, another celebrity is at the defendant's table, Sean Combs. He is the multimillionaire founder of Bad Boy Records and a multi platinum artist himself. For more than 30 years, he was a record label executive who could make or break careers until September of 2024 when he was arrested in a hotel.

[Chloe Melas]

Lobby and charged with racketeering, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution that could lead up to life behind bars.

[Josh Mankiewicz]

Prosecutors say they can prove that over a span of 20 years, the 55 year old physically, emotionally and sexually abused his alleged victims and used violence and blackmail to silence them. Combs has denied the allegations and pleaded not guilty to all the charges against him. This isn't the first time Combs has appeared in a New York courtroom. This Sunday, DATELINE will be airing a special episode where Josh Mankiewicz explores the controversies that have dogged Combs over the years and the events that led up to his arrest last fall. But we wanted to know what's going on right now as news crews from all over the world gear up for the start of testimony. Next week, NBC News correspondent Chloe Meloss is here to fill us in from her post on the sidewalk in front of 500 Pearl street in Lower Manhattan. Chloe, you have been on this case from day one.

[Chloe Melas]

Thanks for Having me.

[Josh Mankiewicz]

So the top charge against Sean Combs is a charge that was used in the past against mob bosses in New York. That's how Rudy Giuliani made his name. It's what is called RICO or racketeering. What exactly is the state's top attorney alleging Combs did?

[Chloe Melas]

You know, I've been talking to a lot of different criminal defense attorneys and they all told me ahead of this trial to go watch Goodfellas if you really want to understand what, what RICO is. New York prosecutors claim that Sean Combs, who had bad boy records and he had all of these different businesses, that he was actually using this organization to partake in illegal activity and that he conspired with others who worked for him to carry out that illegal activity.

[Josh Mankiewicz]

Something that got just a lot of attention were these freak offs.

[Chloe Melas]

Yeah, Alleged drug fueled sex parties that he supposedly filmed. He had people who worked for him go and procure sex workers for these parties and potentially flew them across state lines to meet him. And had employees of his allegedly fill his home with what's now gone viral. You know, tons of baby oil.

[Josh Mankiewicz]

The prosecutor has listed four victims in this case. What do we know as far as who they are? Because we don't have their names yet.

[Chloe Melas]

Right, we don't. Other than victim one we know is Cassie Ventura. We know it's Cassie because the indictment so closely mirrors what she had in her civil suit that she filed against Combs in 2023. She says that he forced her to participate in freak offs, that he subjected her to years of physical and emotional abuse. And it's incredibly graphic.

[Josh Mankiewicz]

We know that Combs settled that lawsuit with Cassie for an undisclosed amount of money. And there was no admission of wrongdoing on his. But according to your reporting, it sounds like she is going to be one of the prosecution's first witnesses.

[Chloe Melas]

We know from a source familiar with the case that she is going to be testifying within the first few days of this trial. She is the government's star witness. I mean, this is going to be explosive next week when she takes the stand.

[Josh Mankiewicz]

And this is a sad story when you think about Cassi Ventura, because this is a woman who had big dreams, you know, to be a singer. And Sean Combs was that guy who was going to help her live out her dream.

[Chloe Melas]

So she was 19 and he was 37 years old when they first met and she had signed a 10 album record deal with him and they started to date. But she very quickly became known as Mrs. Combs. Essentially. They weren't married, but she was like the first lady of hip hop. They were on every single red carpet together. From the outside, they looked like they were in a perfect relationship. But she really pulled back the curtain with this civil suit. And I can imagine that we're gonna hear a lot more when she takes the stand. And I'm sure very emotional. Also, I just wanna point out she's actually very pregnant. I think she's about eight months pregnant.

[Josh Mankiewicz]

Yeah. Tell us a little bit about the people in the courtroom, these prosecutors.

[Chloe Melas]

They're all women. And then you have Combs with almost like two tables of attorneys because he's hired so many at this point point. So you may have heard of celebrity attorney Mark Garagos. He famously represented Scott Peterson, Michael Jackson, the Menendez brothers. Right now he has actually been in the courtroom and his daughter Tenny Garagos is one of the lead attorneys on this case. You also have Mark Agnifolo, who's also currently representing Luigi Mangione. And you also have a man by the name of Brian Steele. Brian Steele. He represented young thug in his state RICO case and was successful.

[Josh Mankiewicz]

What are the defense's arguments so far?

[Chloe Melas]

Combs's defense is saying everything was consensual, that all the charges against him deal with women who were in consensual relationships with him. And something that they said at one point was, this was a lifestyle, call it swingers or whatever you want. This was Combs life.

[Josh Mankiewicz]

The judge also ruled this week to allow the testimony of a defense medical expert that can talk about drugs Sean Combs may have been taking.

[Chloe Melas]

Right. So what we've heard about these freak offs is that there were a lot of drugs. And so you're gonna potentially hear from people who say that they can't even remember some of the things that happened because they were on some sort of mind altering substance. And also, if Diddy took any of these substances, does that make him responsible for the acts committed?

[Josh Mankiewicz]

Jury selection is always important in trials, but it's especially important when you're dealing with such a high profile defendant. What kinds of questions are the prospective jurors being asked?

[Chloe Melas]

Some of the questions are really simple. What are your views on domestic abuse? What do you know about Sean Diddy Combs? What have you heard about the trial? They were given a list called People and Places. It has dozens of names, and some of them are celebrities. And so some of the jurors, we've heard them say, I know who Kanye west is. I know who Michael B. Jordan is. I know who Mike Myers is. And Some of those names obviously have been really shocking for the public to hear. They haven't been accused of any wrongdoing. Nobody knows the context why these people are being brought up.

[Josh Mankiewicz]

Are we seeing any reaction from, from Sean Combs?

[Chloe Melas]

Yeah. So on day one of jury selection, early in the morning he actually asked the judge for a bathroom break because he said, I'm a little nervous right now. But he is in the fight of his life and he could spend the rest of his life behind bars if convicted on all counts.

[Josh Mankiewicz]

Yeah. Chloe, you will be there from opening statements until the end?

[Chloe Melas]

I will. Eight weeks, maybe more. I think it's going to be the biggest trial of 2025.

[Josh Mankiewicz]

We do too, Chloe. That's why the DATELINE True Crime Weekly team is trying something new. Starting this Monday, May 12, I'm going to be checking in with Chloe at the end of court every day and she is going to bring us the latest developments. We'll drop those conversations as bonus episodes called On Trial in the DATELINE True Crime Weekly feed. So watch out for that. And remember to check out Josh Mankiewicz's DATELINE episode. Sean Combs on Trial this Sunday at 10, 9 Central. That's it for this episode of DATELINE True Crime Weekly. Thanks for listening. DATELINE True Crime Weekly is produced by Franny Kelly and Katie Ferguson. Our associate producers are Carson Cummins and Caroline Casey. Our senior producer is Liz Brown Kurloff. Production and fact checking help by Kim Flores Gaynor. Veronica Mazeka is our digital producer. Rick Kwan is our sound designer. Original music by just Jesse McGinty. Bryson Barnes is head of audio production. Paul Ryan is executive producer and Liz Kula, senior executive producer of Dateline. Thanks so much everybody. Bye bye. Friday on an all new dateline. What happens to these young people is a scene from a horror movie. And yet it was real.

[Andrea Canning]

Moscow, Idaho. Four young lives cut short in a spirit small college town. The crime no one can forget about, which we now know more. Since that terrible night, DATELINE has gone inside the investigation and discovered new evidence and new stories that have never been revealed until now.

[Josh Mankiewicz]

Something happened that hadn't been planned on.

[Andrea Canning]

An all new Dateline Friday at 9, 8 Central, only on NBC.