Diddy Trial Jury Selection Sees New Yorkers Tossed Left & Right … Many Reasons for Rejection
Published
Diddy‘s lawyers and prosecutors are making headway on putting together a jury pool … but, it’s slow going — ’cause there are so many landmines that are getting people tossed.
The second day of jury selection is proceeding in a Manhattan federal courthouse Tuesday … and, while some people are making it through to the next round of jury selection, many more have been excused for cause.
Juror 149 — one of many potential jurors who have been questioned to begin this week — told the judge his son was beaten up and robbed while at George Washington University.
When asked by whom, Juror 149 responded he was told it was three young Black men … causing the judge to ask him if he would be biased against Diddy because he’s Black.
Juror 149 responded “People are people” — seemingly saying he would judge the individual, not their race — before leaving the courtroom … and, the judge told both sides he wouldn’t strike the prospective juror for cause, and no one objected.
It’s a rare agreement between the two sides during this process … which has turned tense between the two sets of lawyers at times.
Juror 143, for example, admitted he read about the jury selection process after court yesterday, even though he was told not to … and, while the defense wanted to keep him despite the screw-up, he was ultimately dismissed.
Juror 180 admitted she had bladder problems … and, while she said she could sit through a movie, she was ultimately dismissed from the jury pool too.
Juror 175 pointed to past traumatization … saying something happened to her during wartime in the Ivory Coast, a country in West Africa. It’s unclear what happened to her — but, she said she simply couldn’t serve on the jury, and she too was dismissed.
And, Juror 211 admitted he’s discussed this case with his wife … who is a big fan of TMZ and has read our coverage of the whole Diddy case. He’s out.
A career in book publishing, beliefs that Diddy could buy his way out of trouble, and family connections in law enforcement have all led to exclusions, too.
Several more individuals have made it into the jury pool … but, there are tons of people who aren’t — and, it’s clear there are many reasons why. We even talked to one person who was dismissed, and they detailed the long, difficult process for us. Worth noting — the jury will NOT be sequestered for the trial.
Opening arguments in the case are set to begin next week … and, while no delay is expected yet, it certainly feels slow-going.
