Jury set to begin deliberations in the Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs trial

• Case heads to the jury: Jurors are now receiving instructions from the judge in Sean “Diddy” Combs’ federal criminal trial. They will begin deliberating after they finishing hearing the instructions. The panel heard closing arguments from the defense and prosecution last week.

• Where we left off: In his closing argument, defense attorney Marc Agnifilo said the prosecution exaggerated its case against Combs, showing evidence of his “swingers” lifestyle and personal drug problems but not a criminal enterprise. In its rebuttal, the prosecution accused the music mogul’s lawyers of making excuses for him and blaming his victims. Prosecutors urged jurors to show Combs he is not above the law.

• The charges: Combs has pleaded not guilty to federal charges that include racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking. If convicted on all counts, he could face up to life in prison.

Judge Arun Subramanian will now instruct the jury on the law as it applies to the charges in this case.

The pre-scripted instructions are expected to take more than an hour for the judge to read to the panel.

Judge Arun Subramanian is on the bench, and court proceeding are about to get underway.

The jury is entering now.

This morning, jurors will receive instructions before they begin deliberations.

It’s been more than six weeks since testimony began in the federal criminal trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs.

As the case heads to the jury today, CNN’s Laura Coates recaps the five counts faced by the music mogul — and the key evidence jurors will consider:

Salacious details, discussion of domestic violence and a Black male celebrity who for decades had a strong base of supporters: While the alleged crimes are not the same, some of the cultural issues involved could describe both the trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs in 2025 and that of OJ Simpson in 1995.

Simpson’s case sparked an era of “trialtainment,” with an abundance of viewers and readers following an exhaustive round-the-clock news cycle, absorbing every detail of the bombshell murder case.

Thirty years later, as the world awaits a verdict in Combs’ federal sex trafficking and racketeering trial, interest in celebrity court cases remains high, but public discourse around race and intimate partner violence has changed.

Simpson, who died in April 2024 at the age of 76 following a battle with cancer, was accused of fatally stabbing his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman. The star football player and actor was acquitted in 1995.

Combs is facing allegations of sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy and transportation to engage in prostitution. The mogul and music artist has pleaded not guilty.

Read more here about how the coverage of the two cases reflects an evolution in “trialtainment.”