Jury deliberations happen behind closed doors, but the public can gain some insight into their process if the group sends notes to the court seeking clarification on specific elements of the case.
On Monday, the jury sent a note asking the judge to clarify whether a person who hands someone drugs is a distributor if the recipient specifically asked for the substance. Combs is not charged with drug distribution, but the prosecution has accused him of possession with the intent to distribute drugs as part of his “criminal enterprise.”
The jury must agree that Combs committed at least two of the predicate crimes under the RICO Act as one of the criteria for the racketeering charge. Their instructions list drug distribution as a predicate crime in addition to kidnapping, arson, bribery, witness tampering, forced labor, sex trafficking, and transportation for the purposes of prostitution.
Yesterday, the jury seemed to want to revisit specific violent incidents that allegedly occurred between Combs and Cassie Ventura.
They asked for transcript excerpts from testimony about the InterContinental Hotel assault in March 2016 and an incident where she was allegedly assaulted by Combs during a “freak off” at the Essex House hotel. The juror also asked for her testimony about an incident at the Cannes Film Festival, where Ventura said Combs kicked her off the yacht where they were staying without her belongings, then later threatened to release a sex tape while they were on a plane home.