The jury for the federal criminal trial against Sean "Diddy" Combs has been almost finalized after a colorful selection process, but the prosecution's case against the rap mogul may have suffered a blow after federal authorities acknowledged that one of the four key witnesses who were supposed to testify in the federal trial in New York may not appear in court.

On May 9, the prosecution and defense will have the opportunity to question potential jurors in a second round of examination of their backgrounds, any experiences with violence, and their ability to evaluate evidence of sexual violence and abuse while remaining impartial and objective. Combs is facing five charges of human trafficking for sexual exploitation, racketeering, and transportation for prostitution. He has pleaded not guilty and denies all charges against him.

As part of the selection process, potential jurors were given a brochure this week with questions about their ability to remain impartial, among other things. The jurors were also shown a list of names of famous people and places and asked if they could remain impartial if those names came up. The list included actor Michael B. Jordan and rapper Kid Cudi, with whom Combs' former partner Cassie Ventura had dated; the name of actor Mike Myers also appeared on the list, for unknown reasons.

The jury also underwent individual interviews conducted by Judge Arun Subramanian, who rejected a woman who said that Combs' scandalous video, in which he attacks Ventura in a hotel hallway in 2016, leaked to CNN last year, could be "incriminating evidence."

The impact of the video was evident throughout the selection process and even prompted Combs' lawyer, Marc Agniello, to express dissatisfaction with how it affected the jury selection process. Another potential juror was dismissed after admitting that he had liked a video on social media in which comedian Dave Chappelle made a joke about the large amount of baby oil found in Combs' home during a search by federal investigators last year; the juror dismissed this as meaningless.

On May 7, one of the potential jurors said he was too distracted by the release of the Disney+ series "Andor" to complete all the questions on the questionnaire.

"I was tired. I was watching the new 'Star Wars' series 'Andor. It just came out," the potential juror replied.

The judge asked the man if he would be able to concentrate on the trial or if he would be "too busy watching Andor."

The potential juror may have earned a few points for honesty when he replied, "Like I said, I was watching the show — I'm just lazy."

The trial continues after three days of jury selection. Forty-five potential jurors have been selected to move forward. On May 9, the prosecution and defense will narrow the field to 12 men and women who will participate in the trial, plus six alternates.

During jury selection on May 7, prosecutors informed Judge Subramanian that they may have lost one of Combs' four victims who was supposed to testify in the trial against the disgraced rap mogul. The witness, referred to as "Victim 3" in the indictment, was supposed to tell the court how Combs "forced her to perform sexual acts" and how she was "sexually exploited" by him. Prosecutors said they were no longer sure whether Victim 3 would appear at the trial.

"We don't know if she intends to appear and we are trying to find out because we are having communication issues with her attorney," prosecutor Maureen Comy said, adding that the admission came after pressure from the court for an update on the matter.

Comy told the court that the woman, whom prosecutors refer to as Victim 3, "does not live in the area" and "may not appear even if we try to serve her summons and want to call her."

This comes a week after federal prosecutors said they had spoken with her lawyer and that she was now willing to use her real name in court.

The prosecution will provide an update on the status of the case on May 9. Three other alleged victims of Combs will testify during the trial, which is scheduled to begin on May 12. | BGNES