The defense is prepared to capitalize on the prosecution's self-wound hours before Sean “Diddy” Combs's sex-trafficking trial begins.

Some sources say the U.S. Attorney's office for the Southern District of New York has not contacted a key witness against the Bad Boy Records founder as of Sunday night, as The Daily Mail reported.

Just weeks ago, Victim-3, who is also named in Combs' indictment, agreed to testify in the criminal trial, which may result in the Grammy-winning defendant being imprisoned for life if convicted.

Without having to provide her true name, Victim-3 would have told the court and jury how Diddy sexually exploited her, according to court records.

Going Missing

The non-NYC based Victim-3, who is now, apparently, missing, may give Combs' legal team the evidence they need to temporarily halt the lawsuit.

One source told reporters that the defense is planning to petition for a mistrial or a delay in the start of the trial when they appear before Judge Arun Subramanian at approximately 8:30 a.m. ET to solidify the jury and hear an update on Victim-3 from the authorities.

Declaring a mistrial is more of a last ditch effort for the team, but on the other side of the issue, there is solid legal support for the request to delay.

A representative for the SDNY said that the agency would not comment when asked by reporters earlier Sunday about Victim-3's condition or the consequences that could result from her refusal to testify.

From Law Enforcement

According to law enforcement officials, Victim-3 has reportedly gone silent due to concerns for her safety. However, they declined to provide any further details. As to the possibility that Victim-3 will not be appearing in court.

Following his arrest in September on allegations of racketeering, sex trafficking, transportation to engage in prostitution, and other offenses, the criminal trial of the heavily accused Diddy is expected to continue for eight weeks.

As of Sunday night (the day before the start of the trial) there were perhaps twelve people waiting outside the federal courtroom in downtown Manhattan, which had just undergone renovations.

Across the street, there was already some TV crew gear set up, and specific locations had been reserved for news organizations, including the Associated Press, the BBC, local channels, and cable newsers.

A Former Partner

Cassie Ventura, better known as Victim-1, was one of the main draws in the first part of the trial. If the trial proceeds as expected, she is likely to testify under her own name as early as Monday. Ventura was Combs' long-term partner.

Despite being heavily pregnant with her third child with husband Alex Fine, Ventura was paid tens of millions of dollars to swiftly withdraw her civil complaint against Combs for assault and abuse in late 2023.

A half-naked Combs thrashing Ventura in the hall and dragging her back to their room was captured on camera in 2016; CNN broadcasted the tape in spring of 2024, looking incriminating but now the defense has denied it. The incident brought the "Me & U" singer back into the spotlight.

According to the defense, their client has already expressed regret for the violent acts depicted in the tape, therefore, they are claiming that the editing was done to remove any evidence of his guilt.