Former Danity Kane musical group member Dawn Richard is continuing her testimony today in the criminal federal trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs, and her testimony could be “incredibly impactful,” according to trial attorney Andrew Lewis, who is not affiliated with the case.
Richard testified Friday that she saw Combs attack Ventura in 2009. The next day, Combs told her and another woman present during the incident that it was in their “best interest if we didn’t say anything” and “where he comes from, people go missing if they talk,” Richard testified.
That testimony, Lewis said, is “impactful” after Combs’ former girlfriend and one of his accusers, Cassie Ventura, “gave very, very compelling testimony and you saw how emotional it was at times. It was very detailed and frankly very graphic.”
“But then see text messages where the defense is countering saying, ‘But wait, you appeared to enjoy this, you were in on this,’ but that’s not the case when you see what these other women have testified to, they’re supporting Cassie’s version of this,” Lewis added.
The prosecution still has work to do in the coming weeks.
“There’s a very fine line here between consensual sexual activity and then coercion, manipulation, threats and ultimately, the criminal enterprise that the prosecution in this case alleges that Sean Combs was a part of,” Lewis said. “What they are trying to do is show, look, this isn’t an isolated incident” and that “many people (were) involved at the urging of Mr. Combs all in an effort to satisfy his own sexual fantasies, manipulate young women, force women to a large degree – even psychologically – to do things that they otherwise never would’ve done.”
