“She Had to Hide the Bruises”: Dawn Richard and Kerry Morgan Testify to Years of Abuse
Disclaimer: This article contains detailed accounts of alleged physical and emotional abuse as presented during the ongoing federal sex trafficking trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. The testimonies described herein reflect witness statements given under oath and have not yet been ruled on by a jury. Reader discretion is advised.
As Week 2 of Sean "Diddy" Combs' federal sex trafficking trial unfolds, multiple witnesses from Combs' inner circle stepped forward to support Cassie's story. Dawn Richard, former Danity Kane member, and Kerry Morgan, once Cassie Ventura's best friend, took the stand to testify not just about what they witnessed but what they endured while in the vicinity of a powerful man accused of abuse, manipulation, and coercive control.
For a courtroom already shaken by Cassie's earlier allegations, these firsthand accounts from women who saw the violence up close added gravity and credibility to a story long buried in luxury and silence.
"He Punched, Choked, Dragged, and Kicked Her"
Dawn Richard told jurors she saw Diddy assault Cassie "frequently" during their time together. Her account wasn't vague or speculative. It was disturbingly specific: she described watching Combs punch, choke, slap, drag, and kick his then-girlfriend in multiple incidents of rage. One beating in 2009 left Cassie with a black eye so visible, Richard said, they wore sunglasses together to help hide the evidence.
Perhaps most jarring was Richard's assertion that Combs' security team watched the abuse happen and did nothing.
"They wouldn't react, they wouldn't do anything," she testified. The silent complicity, she implied, was part of the problem.
Defense lawyers attempted to chip away at Richard's credibility on cross-examination, noting that she filed a lawsuit against Combs last year alleging sexual harassment and other claims. They suggested Richard might have ulterior motives or faulty memory. Richard stood by her testimony and pushed back hard on the suggestion that her testimony was about revenge or financial gain.
"I want to be compensated for what I endured," she said. "But I didn't make this up."
Kerry Morgan: "I Don't Think She Cared if He Came in and Killed Her"
Kerry Morgan took the stand with a story that pulled the courtroom deeper into the disturbing reality of Cassie’s relationship with Combs. Once Cassie’s best friend, Morgan described a violent encounter in 2018 when she says Combs lashed out at her simply for stepping too close during an argument between him and Cassie.
He came up behind me and choked me and then boomeranged a wooden hanger at my head,
Morgan told the court, adding that she was left with visible finger bruises on her neck.
She initially planned to press charges. Instead, she accepted a $30,000 payout and signed an NDA arranged by Cassie on Diddy's behalf. The betrayal stung.
"The reason I stopped speaking with her is because she was not supportive of me after that incident," Morgan said of Cassie, describing how their 17-year friendship collapsed as Cassie remained under Combs' sway.
Morgan's testimony further reinforced the pattern of repeated abuse and intimidation. She described two ruthless assaults she had witnessed.
On one occasion in 2013, during a trip to Jamaica, Morgan saw Combs drag Cassie by her hair down a 50-yard hallway and push her outside, causing Cassie to hit her head on a brick walkway.
"I heard Cassie screaming… 'guttural' screams," Morgan testified, recounting how she found Cassie afterward trembling and hiding barefoot in the woods in fear.
Another time, after Combs gave Cassie a black eye in a Los Angeles hotel in 2016, Morgan said Combs showed up at Cassie's apartment in a fury, banging on the door with a hammer while Cassie sat on the couch in a disturbingly numb state. Morgan recalled "freaking out" and begging Combs' staff to intervene; police eventually arrived, but Cassie refused to cooperate with officers.
According to Morgan, Cassie felt she couldn't escape the relationship; Combs controlled her apartment, car, finances, and essentially her entire livelihood.
"I don't think she cared if he came in and killed her," Morgan said of Cassie's despair during that incident.
The Case Against Diddy Strengthens
The accounts of Dawn Richard and Kerry Morgan spoke about what they saw, lived through, and what it cost them to stay silent for so long. And in a case built on silence, that could change everything.
Their testimonies clearly support Cassie's claims as the prosecution works to establish a broader pattern of coercive control.
If you or someone you know needs help, support is available. For sexual assault assistance, contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673). If you’re experiencing domestic violence, the National Domestic Violence Hotline offers confidential support at 1-800-799-7233. Victims of human trafficking can reach out to the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888. These resources are available 24/7 to provide help, guidance, and support—you are not alone.