The defence called none, instead submitting into evidence several text messages between Mr Combs and his ex-girlfriends, singer Casandra Ventura, and another victim who testified under the pseudonym Jane.
It is always difficult for defence teams to decide whether to call any fact witnesses to the stand, said Mitchell Epner, a New York-based lawyer and former prosecutor.
Calling new witnesses can introduce more problems for the defence – and having Mr Combs take the stand would have been an even riskier move, hanging the case mostly on his testimony, Mr Epner said.
Instead, Mr Combs’ lawyers gave a quick presentation, showing messages in an attempt to bolster their argument that Mr Combs’ girlfriends were willing participants in sexual encounters with him and male escorts, which were called freak-offs.
