NEW YORK CITY– A judge dismissed a juror in the sex trafficking trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs on Monday after concluding that his contrasting responses about where he lives may show he had a program or wished to remain on the jury for a function.
Judge Arun Subramanian made the judgment after declining arguments by Combs’ lawyers that it would interfere with the variety of the jury to change the Black male with a White juror.
Subramanian had actually very first revealed late Friday that he was dismissing the juror after concerns emerged over whether he lived in New york city or New Jersey the majority of the time, however several defense attorney objected and the judge waited up until Monday to reveal his decision.
The judge stated an evaluation of the juror’s responses to concerns about his residency throughout jury choice, together with his subsequent actions to comparable concerns in the robing space, exposed “clear disparities.”
” Taking these completely, the record raised severe issues regarding the juror’s sincerity and whether he shaded responses to get on and remain on the jury,” he stated.
Subramanian stated to leave the juror on the panel might threaten the stability of the judicial procedure.
” The court must not, undoubtedly can not, let race aspect into the choice of what takes place. Here, the response is clear. Juror No. 6 is excused,” Subramanian stated before the jury, minus Juror No. 6, was brought into the courtroom for the resumption of testament.
The judge revealed frustration that the defense once again raised the racial concern in a letter to the judge over the weekend and attempted to implicate district attorneys of misbehavior.
” There has actually been no proof of prosecutorial misbehavior gave the court’s attention. No,” he stated, declining a defense ask for a mistrial.
District attorneys have actually stated they anticipate to rest at some point today. The trial remains in its 6th week.
Combs, 55, has actually pleaded innocent to sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy charges. He has actually been active throughout the trial with his legal representatives and nodded his head Friday as his legal representatives argued outside the existence of the jury versus dismissing the juror.
Previously in the trial, he was alerted by the judge that he might be omitted from the courtroom if Subramanian thought he was attempting to affect jurors after the judge stated he saw him two times nodding his head towards jurors as his attorney performed an aggressive interrogation of a witness.
Recently, district attorneys grumbled he was continuing to nod and shake his head sometimes with the jury in the space, although he was no longer looking towards jurors as he did it.
Combs was apprehended last September at a New york city hotel. He was rejected bail several times and has actually stayed jailed at a federal lockup in Brooklyn since.
Source: The Washington Times.
