(NEW YORK) — As testimony begins in Sean “Diddy” Combs’ criminal trial, his fate is in the hands of a jury that represents the city that allowed Combs to rise from working-class roots to the pinnacle of global cultural fame.
Twelve New Yorkers were sworn in as jurors, along with six alternates — who do not yet know of their alternate status — on Monday.
The jurors range in age from 30 to 74, with an average age of 52, and come from across the Southern District of New York, including five jurors from Manhattan, three from the Bronx and four from Westchester. Eight of the jurors are men, and four are women.
Each juror has some kind of college degree – including two master’s degrees and one PhD. The jurors work in a diverse array of fields, with an architect and scientist sitting alongside a deli clerk and massage therapist.
With allegations about Combs well publicized in the past year, at least seven of the jurors said they heard about the case before they arrived for jury selection last week, though they each vowed to remain unbiased and to rely only on the evidence presented at trial.
Here’s what we know about the New Yorkers who will decide Combs’ racketeering and sex trafficking case:
The 12 jurors
Male, 69, massage therapist: He works as a massage therapist, has a BFA in Acting and lives alone in Manhattan. He told the judge overseeing the case that an immediate family member was a victim of domestic violence, but that experience would not bias him as a juror.
Male, 31, investment analyst: He works as an investment analyst, lives in Manhattan and is an active member of his church. While he vowed to be a fair juror, he flagged that he has a moral objection to capital punishment. He said he saw the video of Combs assaulting his former girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, and is aware of the allegations against Combs.
Male, 51, scientist: He has a PhD in Molecular Biology and works as a scientist. He told the judge overseeing the case that he is vaguely aware of the allegations against Combs based on news reports.
Female, 30, deli clerk: She works as a deli clerk, generally doesn’t watch the news and lives with her family in the Bronx. She said she enjoys listening to hip-hop music and reggae.
Female, 42, nursing home aide: She works in a nursing home, lives in Manhattan, has two children and prefers getting her news by “word of mouth.” She said she got a ticket 15 years ago for carrying an open container of alcohol and said she is generally familiar with the allegations against Combs.
Male, 41, clerk at correctional facility: He works as a clerk in a correctional facility, said he enjoys listening to ’90s hip-hop and lives in the Bronx. He said he was familiar with the basic allegations of the case but his preexisting knowledge would not prevent him from being a fair juror. He said he pleaded guilty to misdemeanor fraud after the medical practitioner he used after a car accident was accused of insurance fraud. He got a one-year conditional discharge.
Male, 68, retired: He is retired but used to work for a bank, lives in Westchester and has adult children. He said he enjoys listening to Indian music and playing cricket and volleyball.
Male, 68, retired: He is a retired lineman for a telephone company who enjoys listening to classic rock. He lives with his family in Westchester. He said he was familiar with some of the names associated with the case because he watched Combs’ reality television series, “Making the Band,” when it originally aired in the early aughts. Despite having a distaste for “looking at violence on video,” he said he watched the Ventura assault video.
“I seen a video of Mr. Combs and it seems like this person was in this video and harm was being done to her in the video on TV,” he said. “I didn’t exactly know the reason why he was doing that. But I don’t think that would impede me from making a decision as far as if he went any further with it or what. I didn’t see too much of it.”
Female, 43, physician’s assistant: She works as a physician’s assistant, lives in Westchester with her family and listens to R&B and hip-hop. She is part of both a community-based organization for women in Harlem and a social-justice public theater.
Male, 39, social worker: He works as a preventative social worker for a child care organization, frequently handling domestic violence cases. He is also a licensed security guard. He lives with his family in the Bronx, likes listening to R&B and Afrobeats, gets his news from YouTube, and likes watching sports.
Male, 67, bank analyst: He works as an analyst for a bank, lives in Westchester and has three adult children, including one who works as a security guard. He said he once served on a jury for a criminal case in the Bronx, but the jury did not reach a verdict.
Female, 74, treatment coordinator: She works as a treatment coordinator for an organization dedicated to serving the disabled, lives alone in Manhattan and enjoys classical music. She has a bachelor’s degree in sociology.
6 alternate jurors
Male, 57, architect: He works as an architect, lives in Westchester and is active in the Boy Scouts. He said he is familiar with the allegations against Combs based on media reports but generally does not pay attention to “celebrity media.”
“I’m old enough to have heard a lot of stories before trial and then when the evidence is actually presented, things are, you know — the truth comes out,” he said.
Male, 35, unemployed: He is unemployed but used to work as a window cleaner, enjoys watching crime shows and listens to metal and R&B music. He said he was familiar with the basic allegations against Combs despite not watching the news.
“He was accused of like the sex trafficking, but that was about it,” he said.
Male, 40, physician: He is a physician who lives in Manhattan with his wife. He said he previously read an article written by someone who said Combs threatened her but does not think that information is relevant to the trial.
Female, 71, nonprofit employee: She works for a dance nonprofit, lives with her spouse in Manhattan and enjoys classical music.
Female, 24, site operator: She works as a site operator for a coffee service company, lives in the Bronx and is married, though her spouse lives in West Africa. She listens to hip-hop, rap, soul and West African music. She said she is aware of the Ventura video but said he could still be a fair juror.
“There are both sides to every story. I don’t know the full story, so I can’t be completely one-sided,” she said.
Male, 37, officer at international organization: He works as an administrative officer with an international government organization and has a master’s degree in international relations. He enjoys rock, pop and classical music. He said he was familiar with the allegations in the case despite not liking “celebrity kinds of cases.”
“No one likes hearing about prostitution and things like that. I mean, no one is not like pro-prostitution, and things like that, or other drug charges, and things like that. You know, they’re not good allegations. But I could still be objective and fair,” he said.
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