As Sean Diddy Combs’ trial comes to a close, his daughters leave the court room ‘defeated’

Officially, the Sean “Diddy” Combs racketeering and sex trafficking trial has had both the prosecution and defense laying out their final arguments, and both sides came out looking confident they’d done enough to sway the jury. For Diddy’s daughters, though, the closing arguments left them distraught.

Diddy’s twin daughters, D’Lila and Jessie — children from his contentious relationship with the late Kim Porter — reportedly left the courthouse looking “anxious” and “defeated,” per Page Six. The two were holding hands with their elder sister, Chance, as they made their way to their car. On Instagram, Diddy’s daughters have been trying to show the world a different side of him, celebrating their father and painting a picture of a caring man who makes sacrifices for those he loves. Not the pariah now cemented in the public’s mind, a man who sees people as either tools or toys.

The closing arguments were a bit of a mixed bag. CNN reports that the defense did not call any witnesses. While the public was surprised that not a single person stepped up to vouch for Diddy, it was seen as too risky to the case. In a trial like this, a character witness does little to prove the alleged events didn’t happen. Diddy’s lawyers instead argued that while Diddy is a confirmed physical abuser, he does not engage in sex trafficking, claiming that all his victims were “consensual participants.”

The prosecution, on the other hand, painted the defense as victim-blamers, emphasizing that they had proven “no was never an option” in Diddy’s orbit. They highlighted how Diddy allegedly used his employees — and sometimes even his own children — to do his “dirty work.” What seemed to seal the case for a guilty verdict was that the prosecution actually had witnesses who appeared without financial incentives — Cassie Ventura, notably, had gotten a settlement. The prosecution argued that part of Diddy’s abuse involved forcing partners to participate in commercial sex work — by definition, sex trafficking. The prosecution got the final word on that.

As Diddy awaits his verdict, other cases concerning his conduct are already cropping up. Another lawsuit accuses Justin Combs of luring a young woman to Los Angeles with promises of helping her career using his father’s connections. The woman now claims she ended up being sexually assaulted by three masked men, one of whom she believes was Diddy based on his mannerisms.

The racketeering case is now being endlessly dissected online. Commenters and legal influencers are speculating about which way the jury will lean. The trial unearthed such horrific details that this isn’t even the first time Diddy’s daughters have left court distraught. But now, it all rests on the jury to decide whether he will go to jail. Of course, there’s the off-chance Trump decides to pardon him — which would be tragic but, unfortunately, not impossible.

As it stands, this case will reverberate throughout the Hip-Hop community, serving as a lifelong reminder that the powerful need to treat people they consider “less influential” with decency — or risk accountability, no matter how long it takes.