On Monday, the prosecution and defense in the Sean Combs sex trafficking trial successfully narrowed down the jury pool to the 12 people who will serve on the trial, plus six alternates. Jurors were sworn in immediately after, and opening statements were conducted during a morning session.
Jury selection began last week and faced delays over fears that jurors would back out of serving on the high-profile case. For several days, Judge Arun Subramanian questioned the jury pool on a number of topics, ranging from their feelings towards law enforcement to what kind of music they listen to. He reminded jurors that Combs — who faces charges of sex trafficking, transporting to engage in prostitution and racketeering conspiracy — is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
With Combs, his attorneys and prosecutors sitting in the courtroom, the judge thoroughly asked nearly 100 jurors whether they had seen, posted or liked any online content related to the case and whether they could form opinions based solely on the evidence presented during trial. He also reminded the jury that they will be watching and hearing testimony that might be graphic in nature. For several days, potential jurors who said they might be biased towards Combs or his alleged victims were dismissed. The final group affirmed that they would remain impartial and would avoid reading, researching or discussing the case outside of the courtroom.
The trial is expected to last eight weeks.
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