Diddy trial live updates: Capricorn Clark says Diddy kidnapped, threatened to kill her

This story contains graphic descriptions that some readers may find disturbing.

Sean "Diddy" Combs' former assistant, Capricorn Clark, testified through tears that the former hip-hop mogul kidnapped her and threatened to kill her multiple times while she worked for him.

Clark told the court she was once held against her will for five days after jewelry went missing from one of Combs' homes, forced to take polygraph tests over and over again as she was "petrified."

But her most emotional testimony came as she described Combs rushing to Kid Cudi's Los Angeles home with a gun after he learned the fellow rapper, born Scott Mescudi, was dating Combs' ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura Fine.

"I’d never seen anything like this before," Clark told jurors, choking up as she described Combs allegedly breaking into Mescudi's home in a rage and not letting her leave the scene until she passed threats to Ventura Fine.

Clark's violent testimony comes after a slew of witnesses, including Ventura Fine's mother Regina Ventura, Danity Kane alum Dawn Richard and Mescudi, appeared in court last week to share harrowing accounts of Combs' alleged abuse.

While taking the stand on May 22, Mescudi also claimed Combs broke into his home and locked his dog in a bathroom — and that his vehicle blew up in another incident — after Combs found out he was seeing Cassie.

The incidents are just some of the violent acts prosecutors say Combs undertook during a 20-year scheme to coerce women, including Ventura Fine, to take part in drug-fueled sex parties known as "freak offs" and prevent them from leaving his orbit.

Combs, 55, was arrested in September 2024 and charged with sex trafficking, racketeering and transportation to engage in prostitution. He has pleaded not guilty.

Capricorn Clark testifies Diddy denied her $80K in unpaid overtime

Clark told jurors she generally worked from 9 a.m. to 4 a.m. as a personal assistant for Combs, not given breaks to sleep or eat.

She said she developed alopecia, a health condition that causes hair loss, due to the stress of her role. At one point, Clark complained about her working conditions to human resources at the rapper's company, and employees calculated that she was owed $80,000 in overtime.

When Combs was told about the pay, he ripped up the paper with the calculations, Clark testified.

The former assistant noted part of her job was booking hotels for Ventura Fine and Kim Porter, Combs' late partner with whom he shared four children. She alleged that "100% of the time," Combs brought a camera and a Louis Vuitton toiletry bag containing illegal drugs, as well as small bottles of baby oil and lube. She recalled seeing baby oil handprints on suede walls after he checked out of various hotel rooms.

Clark said her duties extended further, and she was once told to get cocaine for one of Combs' friends while they were in the south of France.

Combs allegedly pushed Capricorn Clark, told her 'you can't have' a life

Clark recalled an instance in summer 2006 when she was working in Miami with the rapper. While she was off the clock, Combs called her and demanded to know where she was: "Your problem is you want a life and you can't have that here."

The next morning, after Combs' chef told her there was no more turkey bacon in his home, Clark said she grumbled, "I hate it here." She alleged Combs overheard and "ran toward me with his hands open and he pushed me," with Combs telling her if she hated it, she could get out of his house.

Clark said he pushed her 20 to 30 yards before one of Combs' security guards intervened. After that, Clark left her position.

"That was crossing my boundary," Clark said, getting choked up on the stand. But later, Combs asked her to work for Combs' Sean John women's clothing line, so she wouldn't be working directly under him. "I didn't want to be trapped in his house no more," Clark said.

Diddy ex-assistant Capricorn Clark once held for five days over stolen jewelry accusation

Clark said she was once accused of stealing three pieces of jewelry while working as Combs' assistant. Combs’ bodyguard Paul Offord, known as Uncle Paulie, searched Clark’s house, but didn’t find anything.

The next day, he took her to a building in New York that would soon become the corporate offices for Bad Boy Worldwide, but at the time Clark said it was "dilapidated," unfinished and a "gutted building."

Clark told the court she was brought to the sixth floor where she was met by a "very wide, very heavy" man, whom she described as "five of me across. He was very wide." She said the man was smoking cigarettes and drinking black coffee, and Clark was told she was brought there to take a lie detector test.

Clark told the court she was brought to the sixth floor where she was met by a "very wide, very heavy" man, whom she described as "five of me across. He was very wide." She said the man was smoking cigarettes and drinking black coffee, and Clark was told she was brought there to take a lie detector test.

"If you fail this test, they’re gonna throw you in the East River," the man said. On the stand, Clark said, "I was petrified. I was afraid what would happen if I didn’t pass this test."

Clark's voice cracked on the stand, and she began crying while recalling the incident. Clark said she spent the whole day intermittently taking the test, but the results were inconclusive. "You’re gonna be in the East River if I can’t get a good reading on this," Clark recalled the man saying.

The former assistant said she couldn’t calm down, and the door to the room was locked from the outside. For five days, she was tested about the incident. At the end of each day, the security took her back to her house before bringing her back to the building in the morning. She was told she couldn’t leave "until we get to the bottom of this," Clark recalled.

"I wanted to prove my innocence. I didn’t like the threats," Clark told the court. "I was just trying to survive it."

Capricorn Clark refers to Diddy's longtime rivalry with 50 Cent

Clark, who worked for Combs between 2004 and 2012, told jurors she has a personal connection to one of Diddy's major rap rivals, Suge Knight. The former record executive is the father of her best friend’s children.

On her first day of work as Combs' assistant, Clark alleged that he took her to Central Park after 9 p.m. and told her “he didn’t know I had anything to do with Suge Knight" when she was hired and "if anything happened, he would have to kill me.”

Clark took this as “a very serious” threat, she said, arguing there  was nothing she could do to convince him that night that she was “a trustworthy person.”

She also recalled an instance early on in working for Combs when she accompanied him to an MTV office to speak to reporters. She overheard him tell his security guard that he didn’t like "nonsense" in his work, but he did “like guns.” Clark also told jurors that 50 Cent was at MTV that day and “he had an issue with 50 Cent.”

Diddy and the "Get Rich or Die Tryin" rapper have another legendary hip-hop rivalry, dating back nearly 20 years. 50 Cent, born Curtis Jackson, is producing a docuseries to premiere on Netflix about the allegations against Combs.

Capricorn Clark testifies Combs went to Kid Cudi’s house with a gun 

Clark, testified about an incident where the rapper allegedly showed up at her apartment unannounced with a gun and said “we’re going to go kill” Kid Cudi.

Clark said this occurred in December 2011, when Ventura Fine was romantically involved with Mescudi, the "Day 'n' Nite" rapper. Clark testified that around 5:30 a.m., she heard a loud banging on the door of her Los Angeles apartment and looked through the peephole to see Combs pacing outside.

“He was furious,” Clark said. “That was evident.”

He allegedly entered Clark’s apartment, shouting, “Why didn’t you tell me? Who is Scott?” after finding out that Mescudi and Ventura Fine were dating. He then allegedly told Clark to get dressed because “we’re going to go kill this (man).”

When Clark responded that she didn't want to go, Combs told her he did not care, she testified. “I’d never seen anything like this before," Clark said, explaining that Combs had never shown up at her apartment unannounced, and she had never seen him carrying a gun. 

Clark said they got into an Escalade SUV, with Combs’ security guard Ruben driving, and Combs sat in the backseat with Clark with a gun in his lap. They arrived at Mescudi’s house, at which point Combs and Ruben went into the house while Clark stayed in the car. Clark said she called Ventura Fine’s burner phone and told her that Combs had “brought me to Cudi’s house to kill him.”

Cassie testified earlier this month that she purchased the phone in an effort to hide her relationship from Diddy.

Combs got back in the car and asked Clark who she was on the phone with. “He was livid, more so than already,” Clark testified. 

Mescudi then pulled up next to the Escalade, before driving away. Clark said they chased his car for about a minute but lost him. They also passed police who were on the way to Cudi’s house.

Capricorn Clark says Diddy kidnapped, threatened to 'kill' her

After the alleged incident with Mescudi, Clark said Combs calmed down and told her to call Cassie.

The assistant recalled telling Ventura Fine that "he has mem, and he's not gonna let me go until I come get you." According to Clark, Combs said she could only leave once she made Ventura Fine promise that Mescudi would not call law enforcement.

"If you guys don't convince him of that, I'll kill all (of) you," Clark recalled Combs saying. "If you tell on him, he's gonna hurt us all," she added.

Clark told the jury that Mescudi was "mindblown" over the alleged incident, but she and Cassie still returned to Combs' house about four or so hours later, at about 10:50 a.m.

Who is Capricorn Clark?

Capricorn Clark, who worked as Combs' assistant around 2011, has already been named in testimony from Ventura Fine and Mescudi. Ventura Fine testified Clark was aware Combs had allegedly threatened to release explicit footage of her. Mescudi said Clark was the one who told him Combs had allegedly broken into his Los Angeles home after learning of his relationship with Ventura Fine.

Kid Cudi recalls home break-in after Diddy learned of Cassie relationship

Mescudi testified on May 22 that Combs broke into his home after learning of his relationship with Ventura Fine.

The "Pursuit of Happiness" rapper said the incident started after he received a call in December 2011 from Ventura Fine, who sounded "scared" and told him Combs had discovered their relationship. The musician said he received a call from Combs' former assistant Capricorn Clark later in the day, saying the rapper was inside Mescudi's Los Angeles house.

Mescudi said no one was ultimately inside, but his dog was locked up in the bathroom, whereas he normally lets his dog roam around the house freely. Some gifts he received from the luxury brand Chanel had also been opened. The rapper added that he called the police and made a report.

Diddy on trial newsletter: Step inside the courtroom as music mogul faces sex-crimes charges.

Kid Cudi claims car was blown up with Molotov cocktail

During his May 22 testimony, Mescudi said he got a call from his dogsitter in January 2012 saying that his car was on fire. Mescudi told the court that by the time he returned home, law enforcement officers were on the scene, and he saw a Molotov cocktail and the major damage to his vehicle.

Jurors were then shown photos of the destroyed Porsche. There was a large hole in the roof of the car and smoke damage on the doors and interior. The incident came weeks after Mescudi said he went to Connecticut with Ventura Fine to visit her family for Christmas. During that time, Combs texted him several times, wanting to speak and "get to the bottom of it."

Why is Diddy on trial?

Combs is facing federal sex-crimes and trafficking charges in a sprawling lawsuit that has eroded his status as a power player and kingmaker in the entertainment industry.

He was arrested in September 2024 and has been charged with racketeering, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution. He has pleaded not guilty to all five counts.

Where can I watch the Diddy trial?

The trial will not be televised, as cameras are typically not allowed in federal criminal trial proceedings.

USA TODAY will be reporting live from the courtroom.

Contributing: USA TODAY staff

If you are a survivor of sexual assault, RAINN offers support through the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800.656.HOPE (4673) and Hotline.RAINN.org and en Español RAINN.org/es.

If you or someone you know is a victim of domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or text "START" to 88788.