Cassie Ventura struggled to keep her composure at times while testifying at ex-beau Sean “Diddy” Combs’ sex-trafficking trial Tuesday — breaking down in tears and barely whispering at several points.
When Ventura, 38, first entered the Manhattan federal courtroom, Combs, 55, whipped around in his chair to look at her. She stared straight ahead.
There did not appear to be any eye contact between the pair at least through Ventura’s morning and early-afternoon testimony — as she alleged he forced her into creepy voyeuristic “freak-off” sex sessions with other men and ruthlessly beat her for no reason except his bad moods.
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She breathed in deeply several times on the stand, as if mustering up the strength to keep her composure while testifying — a star turn that has kept the jury riveted.
She mainly spoke in a calm and measured tone, although softly, sometimes going down to a whisper.
Ventura also wept and dabbed her eyes with a tissue at times, such as when a prosecutor showed an image from the rapper’s 2016 beat-down of her in a Las Vegas hotel hallway.
She started crying again when a photo was shown of her in her younger days with onetime best friend and model Kerry Morgan.
Diddy didn’t have any noticeable reaction to his former gal pal’s testimony against him, only taking notes and passing them to his lawyers. He faces up to life in prison if convicted.
As court broke for lunch, Combs got up and started talking to family members including at least some of his adult children and his mother, who were in court to support him.
When he got close to the edge of the court gallery, a US marshal used his arm to block the suspect from getting closer to his kin.
Combs then told his mother he loved her and walked back to his spot as a defendant.
-Additional reporting by Kate Sheehy
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
