Sean "Diddy" Combs will stand trial starting this May 5 in New York, on federal charges including racketeering conspiracy and human trafficking, among others. Prosecutors allege a pattern of misconduct spanning decades, involving coercion, misuse of influence, and illicit activity.
Jury selection begins first, with the prosecution expecting to present its case over three weeks. Combs, who has denied all allegations, faces multiple civil lawsuits as well and could receive a life sentence if convicted.
Cases like this often captivate public attention, blending real-life drama with the intrigue of a courtroom showdown. As a society, we consume a lot of fictionalized drama, both in literature and on the big and small screens. So it's no surprise that our interest grows when we're presented with a real-life, high-profile criminal case. Whether it's obsessing over an ill-fitting glove or a shaky alibi, we love speculating and drawing conclusions based on new evidence. More than once, such events have been referred to as "the trial of the century." But which trials really stole the scene?
Click through this gallery to discover some of the most epic trials in history.