Sean “Diddy” Combs’ lawyers are claiming the disgraced mogul might not have been mentally capable of committing the crimes of which he’s been accused.
Per documents obtained by People on Monday, April 28, prosecutors filed a motion on Sunday, April 27, to dispute any testimony that might show Diddy, 55, did not have the “mental capacity” to commit the crimes he has been charged with due to the effects of drugs and/or alcohol.
Diddy’s trial is expected to begin in New York on Monday, May 5. The motion from the prosecution allegedly references testimony from a psychiatrist, Dr. Elie Aoun, on the defense’s behalf. Prosecutors requested that a judge prevent the psychiatrist’s testimony from being included in Diddy’s trial.
“The noticed testimony relates to the defendant’s diminished capacity to form the mens rea required to commit the charged offenses — in other words, a ‘mental condition bearing on the issue of guilt,’” prosecutors wrote in their filing, according to the outlet.
Sean “Diddy” Combs is undergoing “treatment and therapy” amid his recent legal woes, his attorney said during an arraignment hearing on Tuesday, September 17. During Tuesday’s hearing in New York, Diddy’s main attorney, Marc Agnifilo, noted that the rapper and business mogul is in “treatment and therapy for things that most respectfully he needs treatment […]
Per the Legal Information Institute, “mens rea,” which translates to “guilty mind,” refers to the mental state of the defendant; to convict someone, prosecutors must be able to prove a defendant not only committed the crime, but also had mens rea, meaning the prosecution must prove “beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant committed the offense with a culpable state of mind.”
The prosecution’s motion allegedly hinted at Aoun’s testimony — which was redacted in the filing — suggested Diddy’s “mental capacity” was impacted by the effects of drugs and alcohol.
In their objection to Aoun’s testimony, prosecutors wrote, “If a defendant intends to introduce expert evidence relating to ‘a mental disease or defect or any other mental condition of the defendant bearing on . . . the issue of guilt,’ he must provide notice to the Government.”
In September 2024, Diddy was indicted on charges of sex trafficking and racketeering after being arrested in New York City. According to the 14-page indictment obtained by Us Weekly, he allegedly “abused, threatened and coerced women and others around him.”
Sean “Diddy” Combs’ lawyer, Marc Agnifilo, is clarifying recent reports that the disgraced music mogul has been placed on suicide watch in prison. This course of action is routine procedure for “new, high-profile inmates,” the attorney told Us Weekly in a statement on Friday, September 20. Diddy, 54, is “not at all suicidal,” Agnifilo added, […]
The indictment claimed that some of the alleged incidents carried out to fulfill Diddy’s “sexual desires, protect his reputation and conceal his conduct” date back to 2009.
Diddy had denied all allegations against him. He is currently behind bars at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York, as he awaits trial.
“We are disappointed with the decision to pursue what we believe is an unjust prosecution of Mr. Combs by the U.S. Attorney’s Office,” Diddy’s lawyer Marc Agnifilo told Us in a statement in September 2024. “Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs is a music icon, self-made entrepreneur, loving family man and proven philanthropist who has spent the last 30 years building an empire, adoring his children and working to uplift the Black community. He is an imperfect person, but he is not a criminal.”
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