P. Diddy trial in New York: Defense to begin pleadings this Friday

Attorney Marc Agnifilo is expected to take the stand Friday to defend his client, a key figure in hip-hop for the past three decades who faces life in prison. He has pleaded not guilty and chosen not to testify, a common defense strategy in the United States. His lawyers do not have to prove their client's innocence, but rather to sow reasonable doubt among the jury about the prosecutors' accusations. In nearly seven weeks, the prosecution has called 34 witnesses, but the accounts of two of the rapper's former girlfriends and a former assistant have made a lasting impression.

R&B singer Casandra Ventura, known as "Cassie," and "Jane," a woman who remains anonymous, took turns detailing how they were forced to engage in highly choreographed sex marathons with male prostitutes to satisfy the desires of the rapper and producer, who either masturbated or filmed them. "These were absolutely not free choices," prosecutor Christy Slavik insisted for five hours Thursday, adding that the alleged victims "were drugged, oiled, exhausted, and in pain."

Sean Combs "didn't take 'no' for an answer," she insisted, recalling the immense control he exerted over his ex-girlfriend "Cassie" and the rent paid for his other ex, Jane, who had become financially dependent on the rapper. But in the preceding weeks, the rapper's lawyers had done everything they could to discredit the prosecution witnesses one by one with heavy-handed cross-examinations. Cassie was subjected to a barrage of questions, aimed at getting her to admit that she willingly participated in sex parties with other men.

"I'm always ready" for a "freak-out," as they were called, she wrote to her partner in 2009. The singer pleaded no contest, while explaining that she was under Diddy's influence. One of the challenges for jurors will be to draw the line between consent and coercion. In their opening arguments, Diddy's lawyers insisted that his accusers were "adult, capable, and strong women." Cassie and "Jane" admitted that their respective relationships involved love and desire, but that they were also subject to threats to their reputations, financial situation, and physical integrity.