NEW YORK — A decide dismissed a juror within the intercourse trafficking trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs on Monday after concluding that his conflicting solutions about the place he lives would possibly point out he had an agenda or wished to remain on the jury for a function.
Decide Arun Subramanian made the ruling after rejecting arguments by Combs’ attorneys that it could disrupt the variety of the jury to interchange the Black man with a White juror.
Subramanian had first introduced late Friday that he was dismissing the juror after questions arose over whether or not he resided in New York or New Jersey more often than not, however a number of protection legal professionals protested and the decide waited till Monday to announce his ultimate resolution.
The decide mentioned a overview of the juror’s solutions to questions on his residency throughout jury choice, alongside together with his subsequent responses to related questions within the robing room, revealed “clear inconsistencies.”
“Taking these all collectively, the report raised critical considerations as to the juror’s candor and whether or not he shaded solutions to get on and keep on the jury,” he mentioned.
Subramanian mentioned to go away the juror on the panel may threaten the integrity of the judicial course of.
“The court docket shouldn’t, certainly can not, let race issue into the choice of what occurs. Right here, the reply is evident. Juror No. 6 is excused,” Subramanian mentioned earlier than the jury, minus Juror No. 6, was introduced into the courtroom for the resumption of testimony.
The decide expressed disappointment that the protection once more raised the racial problem in a letter to the decide over the weekend and tried to accuse prosecutors of misconduct.
“There was no proof of prosecutorial misconduct dropped at the court docket’s consideration. Zero,” he mentioned, rejecting a protection request for a mistrial.
Prosecutors have mentioned they anticipate to relaxation someday this week. The trial is in its sixth week.
Combs, 55, has pleaded not responsible to intercourse trafficking and racketeering conspiracy expenses. He has been lively all through the trial together with his legal professionals and nodded his head Friday as his legal professionals argued exterior the presence of the jury towards dismissing the juror.
Earlier within the trial, he was warned by the decide that he may very well be excluded from the courtroom if Subramanian believed he was attempting to affect jurors after the decide mentioned he noticed him twice nodding his head towards jurors as his lawyer carried out an aggressive cross-examination of a witness.
Final week, prosecutors complained he was persevering with to nod and shake his head at occasions with the jury within the room, though he was now not wanting towards jurors as he did it.
Combs was arrested final September at a New York lodge. He was denied bail a number of occasions and has remained incarcerated at a federal lockup in Brooklyn ever since.
