Jury deliberations begin in Diddy’s racketeering and sex trafficking trial

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Today, 12 everyday New Yorkers were tasked with a pivotal decision: deciding Diddy’s legal fate.

U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian spent more than two hours walking the jurors through the five criminal counts at the heart of the case, detailing the charges and instructing the panel on the finer points of federal law. It’s a process formally known as “charging the jury.”

He then sent the jury away for closed-door deliberations, which started at 11:30 a.m. ET. Juror No. 5 was selected as foreperson.

“Your decision must be unanimous,” Subramanian said. “If you listen to your fellow jurors and apply common sense, you will come to a fair verdict.”

Roughly an hour later, the panel sent a note to Subramanian. The group was worried that Juror No. 3 “does not follow” the judge’s instructions. The exact reason for that concern wasn’t specified. In response, Subramanian reminded every juror of a duty to deliberate.

The eight men and four women came back just before 5 p.m. ET with two notes — a question about the government’s drug distribution allegation against Diddy and a heads-up that they planned to break for the day at 5 p.m.

They’ll be back tomorrow morning. We’ll keep you updated.

Reminder: Diddy is charged with one count of racketeering conspiracy, two counts of sex trafficking and two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution, known more simply as the Mann Act. He has pleaded not guilty.

🔎 The view from inside

By Adam Reiss, Chloe Melas, Katherine Koretski and Jing Feng

The jury appeared engaged with Subramanian’s lengthy instructions. Several jurors followed along on their paper copies, underlying key parts and taking notes — especially during the judge’s explanations of reasonable doubt and witness credibility.

The jurors were given a three-page verdict sheet listing each of the five counts, with spaces to mark whether Diddy is guilty or not guilty. (In the case of the eight allegations underlying the racketeering charge, jurors must put down whether it was “proved” or “not proved” that he was involved in crimes such as kidnapping, arson, bribery and forced labor.)

In other news: Diddy was all smiles walking into the courtroom this morning. He hugged defense lawyers Marc Agnifilo, Brian Steel and Alexandra Shapiro. He made a prayer gesture and put his hand over his heart as he looked out at his family seated in the gallery.

Diddy later sat with his hands folded as Subramanian detailed the five counts and explained the individual elements of the racketeering charge. He occasionally glanced around the room and in the direction of the jury box.

When the jurors stepped out of the courtroom to start deliberating, Diddy walked over to his family. They clasped hands and bowed their heads in prayer. Later, Diddy held up two books for reporters and members of the public to see: Norman Vincent Peale’s “The Power of Positive Thinking” and Shawn Achor’s “The Happiness Advantage.”

PSA: Every night during Diddy’s trial, NBC’s “Dateline” will drop special episodes of the “True Crime Weekly” podcast to get you up to speed. “Dateline” correspondent Andrea Canning chats with NBC News’ Chloe Melas and special guests — right in front of the courthouse. Listen here. 🎧