Editor’s Note: This story contains discussions of domestic violence. Reader discretion is advised. If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence or abuse, you can find resources and discreet ways to get help on the National Domestic Violence Hotline website or by calling 1-800-799-7233.
(NewsNation) — The continuing sex trafficking and racketeering trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs, with its overtones of domestic abuse, is bringing back memories for Tanya Brown.
The motivational speaker and author is the sister of Nicole Brown Simpson, who was murdered in June 1994. Nicole’s ex-husband, football legend O.J. Simpson, previously had been arrested for domestic abuse but was acquitted of her killing in a highly publicized “trial of the century.”
Central to the Diddy trial are allegations that he threatened and manipulated his longtime girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, into participating in sexual “Freak Offs.” Video from 2016 presented to jurors shows Diddy attacking Cassie in a hotel corridor; the pair split in 2018.
“The majority of the public really are enthralled with cases like this,” Brown told “Banfield” on Wednesday. “My message to people who are watching this: Do not judge this girl. Do not judge this young lady. You have not walked in her shoes.”
Diddy has pleaded not guilty to the federal charges, and his defense team has sought to portray Ventura as a willing participant.
Brown said she had been oblivious to the abuse her own sister had suffered. She agrees with experts who say victims can seem fine outwardly while simultaneously wanting to escape.
“The cycle of violence is all about power and control,” she said.
Brown said going through a high-profile trial, as her family did, is probably more difficult today because of the onslaught of social media.
“Bullies reside on every social media platform,” said Brown, who encouraged Ventura’s family to get help if they are feeling overwhelmed.