Despite an early hiccup in the deliberation process, a federal jury has apparently reached a verdict on four of the five counts against disgraced rapper and music mogul Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs.
The jury sent a note to Manhattan Federal Court Judge Arun Subramanian on Tuesday, stating that they had reached a verdict on counts 2, 3, 4, and 5 — but were struggling to reach a consensus on the top charge, racketeering conspiracy.
Upon receipt of the jury’s note, Combs’ attorney Marc Agnifilo asked the judge to recall the jury to the courtroom for further instructions, saying that the defense wanted the jury to continue deliberating. The prosecution also favored continued deliberations, CNN reported, adding that all parties were working to agree on “the wording of that instruction.”
Just about an hour after deliberations began on Monday, the trial hit a bit of a snag when the jury sent another note to Judge Subramanian. That note revealed that the majority of the jury had concerns about “Juror 25” and questioned whether or not he would be able to “follow Your Honor’s instructions.”
The foreperson requested the chance to speak with the judge personally — or, if that was not possible, suggested that the judge should interview Juror 25.
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A live report from CourtTV stated that during jury selection, the juror in question had revealed he’d seen the video of Combs attacking then-girlfriend Cassie Ventura and said that “he had formed an opinion about that particular video,” but said at the time that he would be able to “set his opinion aside” when it came time to discuss the case.
At the time, the judge instructed the jury to continue deliberations.
Combs, who faces charges that include sex trafficking, transportation for the purpose of prostitution, and racketeering, could be facing life in prison of he’s convicted on any of the top three charges against him.
