There’s a new twist in the Diddy trial after one of the jurors was removed today for providing some suspicious answers regarding their residency. The dismissal may lead to a mistrial if the troubled music mogul’s legal team gets its way.
Why Was the Juror in Diddy’s Trial Removed From Service?
Diddy’s trial continued on Monday (June 16) with a major upset in the jury. Juror No. 6 was eliminated from the sex trafficking and racketeering trial due to inconsistencies over where they lived, ABC News reports. The jury member, a Department of Corrections accountant, was one of two Black men ultimately deciding Diddy’s fate. The alternate juror replacing the ousted one is a White man.
During jury selection in early May, the man said he lived in the Bronx, but that apparently wasn’t true. As Week 5 of the trial was underway last week, the now-dismissed juror reportedly told a court staff member he recently moved to New Jersey.
The defense had serious concerns about race, being that now there is only one Black male juror left, to which Judge Arun Subramanian took into consideration. However, the judge said, “this jury does not raise those concerns” and it is “inappropriate to consider race” to decide whether the juror’s responses were suitable regarding questions about where he lived.
The judge learned about the juror’s inconsistencies last Friday (June 13) and moved ahead with his decision today. “The record raised serious concerns as to the juror’s candor and whether he shaded answers to get on and stay on the jury,” Judge Subramanian said of Juror No. 6. “There’s nothing that the juror could say at this point to put the genie back in the bottle.”
Will There Be a Mistrial in Diddy’s Case?
Diddy’s legal team is not pleased with the juror being removed and replaced, and the rap businessman wants a mistrial based on the judge’s decision. On Sunday evening (June 15), TMZ reports that the Bad Boy Records founder’s defense filed a letter to the judge regarding the prosecution’s questions about a juror’s inconsistent answers and claimed that the government is using pretense to dismiss a juror based on their race.
Diddy feels if this particular juror is dismissed, he deserves a mistrial. Now that the man has officially been taken out of the trial, it looks like mistrial paperwork is imminent. Diddy’s team has already demanded a mistrial once during the legal process, and was denied.
Is There Another Jury Issue?
There may be an issue with another jury member. On Friday, the matter was part of a discussion when the courtroom was briefly closed to the public. However, the judge did not address if there is cause for concern with a second juror today.
