
Defense rests without calling any witnesses
The defense in the Sean Combs trial rested its case after calling no witnesses, electing only to read some items into the record.
Defense attorney Anna Estevao read several exchanges of text messages between Sean Combs and his ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura that the defense asserts expressed Ventura's love for Combs, even after years of what federal prosecutors argued was coerced sex with male escorts.
"Bottom line, I love you. You are important to me, and I know I will never have a love like this in this lifetime," Ventura wrote in a 2012 message that was read into evidence. "Besides making love, talking to you is my favorite thing."
In another message, Ventura told Combs, "I miss you." Combs responded, "So what you going to do." Ventura replied, "Be your lil freak."
Defense attorney Teny Geragos read notes from law enforcement meetings with several witnesses, including Daniel Phillip, an escort.
Phillip testified that after a sexual encounter at Ventura's home, Combs threw a bottle toward her and "grabbed her by her hair and dragged her by her hair into the bedroom" after she did not immediately get up from a computer to go into the bedroom as Combs had instructed. Phillip said Combs emerged from the bedroom a while later to ask him, "are you guys ready to continue?"
Geragos also read law enforcement notes from a meeting with Phillip that the defense contends indicate Combs said something else. "In approximately 2013, Phillip saw Ventura get physically assaulted. Combs eventually came back out and said 'Yo man I'm going to have to deal with this. You need to get the f--- out,'" Geragos read.
Federal prosecutors declined to put on a rebuttal case.
Judge Arun Subramanian sent the jury home until Thursday with instructions to avoid any news about the case.