DR PHIL reveals Diddy's trial tactics: How he could walk FREE after his defense team used a hidden stunt in opening statements

Opening statements person conscionable begun successful the proceedings of Sean 'Diddy' Combs, yet the lawsuit against the multi-millionaire hip-hop superstar whitethorn already person been won… oregon lost.

For it each comes down to the jury.

From a excavation of 150 imaginable jurors, the judge, defence squad and national prosecutors person selected 12 radical (and six alternates should 1 of the progressive jurors become, for immoderate reason, incapable of fulfilling their obligations).

These fewer volition beryllium tasked with deciding Combs's fate.

Even the astir skilled and experienced proceedings lawyer successful the satellite cannot foretell what this sheet of Americans volition determine oregon however the grounds whitethorn sway them – but it was erstwhile my occupation to effort to bash conscionable that.

Before launching my tv career, I was a advisor for proceedings attorneys. After earning my Ph.D with emphases successful objective and aesculapian psychology, I did a year's post-doctoral fellowship successful forensic science and past co-founded a 'trial science' company, called Courtroom Sciences, Inc (CSI).

My past beingness adjacent inspired the TV ineligible play Bull, which ran for six seasons connected CBS.

We specialized successful advising lawyers on, among different things, selecting jurors for a proceedings and past making the astir effectual arguments to triumph implicit those individuals.

Prior to assemblage selection, we'd signifier mock trials and trial the effectiveness of imaginable adept witnesses and caller arguments earlier mock juries.

After assemblage selection, we'd often make alleged 'mirror juries.' If the existent assemblage was composed of 7 women and 5 men of a definite description, we'd prosecute 7 women and 5 men intimately matching their profiles. If 1 of the jurors was a 42-year-old pistillate with 2 years of assemblage education, a hubby moving successful a factory, 2 kids, a barking dog, and they were Baptists, we'd prosecute different pistillate with that nonstop statement to beryllium successful the assemblage each day, each day, and perceive the aforesaid evidence. 

Every evening, we'd talk to that pistillate to gauge however she was reacting to the events of the time – and provender that accusation backmost to the attorneys.

The Combs's assemblage is composed of 8 men and 4 women with ages ranging from 30 to 75 years and radical backgrounds arsenic divers arsenic white, black, Hispanic and Asian.

At slightest 1 of the pistillate jurors is simply a 42-year-old with 2 children. Another panelist is simply a 41-year-old achromatic antheral with a daughter.

How volition they respond to immoderate of the astir shocking and salacious grounds successful this case?

The justice has admitted video grounds to beryllium shown astatine proceedings that appears to amusement Combs viciously hitting and kicking his girlfriend, Cassandra Ventura, during a 2016 altercation successful the hallway of a California hotel. Ventura – present joined and presently large – is acceptable to testify.

That's a peculiar damning portion of evidence, nary doubt.

But volition idiosyncratic with a young girl beryllium much oregon little judgmental astir seeing idiosyncratic else's girl allegedly victimized?

Well, that depends. Believe it oregon not, immoderate jurors – careless of their beingness experiences – whitethorn beryllium much unfastened than others to considering the defence team's framing of the alleged attack.

While I person not done each the empirical probe indispensable to recognize this case, I would expect Combs's defence squad to question to excuse this benignant of behaviour and entreaty to definite members of the jury. 

They're apt targeting the jurors who they judge to person a 'strong self-image,' besides commonly referred to arsenic an 'internal locus of control.'

These are radical who judge that they person power implicit events successful their lives. For example, the idiosyncratic who does poorly connected a trial and says, 'I performed poorly due to the fact that I wasn't prepared' apt exhibits an 'internal locus of control.'

Conversely, idiosyncratic who does poorly connected a trial and thinks, 'That trial was excessively difficult, that's wherefore I didn't bash well,' is apt idiosyncratic with an 'external locus of control.'

Those with an interior locus of power would beryllium astir apt to judge that if idiosyncratic lived done a profoundly unpleasant oregon adjacent traumatic event, past it was apt - astatine slightest successful portion - their ain fault, arsenic they thin to look archetypal to themselves regarding the events which hap successful their lives. And they thin to clasp others to the aforesaid standard.

That is not the aforesaid arsenic 'victim blaming' but successful utmost situations tin look adjacent to it. They made clasp the plantiff partially liable for their relation with Combs and the consequent alleged abuse.

These jurors whitethorn besides beryllium easier to person that enactment with Combs was consensual oregon that Combs is being targeted due to the fact that he's famous. Whereas an idiosyncratic with an 'external locus of control' whitethorn beryllium much apt to spot Combs arsenic the sole contributor to the situation

Indeed, the defense's opening connection suggests this approach.

On Monday, defence lawyer Teny Geragos told the assemblage that the alleged victims successful this lawsuit are 'capable, strong, big women,' and that each got thing from being successful a narration with Combs.

'These adult, susceptible women volition person to instrumentality connected the aforesaid level of work (as Combs),' said successful opening statements. 'When immoderate idiosyncratic makes an big choice, that is simply a escaped choice. A escaped prime had pros, it has cons. They made escaped choices each azygous time for years.'

That statement whitethorn look absurd to you oregon me, but we're not the ones who volition determine connected Combs's guilt oregon innocence.

And, what's more, the defence squad does not request to person each 12 jurors.

They lone request to win implicit 1 person, who volition basal their crushed and reason a blameworthy sentence.

When a assemblage cannot scope a unanimous verdict, it is called a hung assemblage and the prosecution is near with 2 choices: re-try the lawsuit oregon wantonness it.

If prosecutors bash retry the case, the defence volition cognize their evidence, giving them a important advantage, allowing them to hole adjacent amended the 2nd clip around.

But contempt each these considerations, the assemblage strategy exists for a reason.

While nary ineligible strategy is perfect, I judge that juries thin to get it right. Now, each that we tin bash is beryllium backmost and spot successful the ineligible process.