This is a true crime in real time update from True Crime Today and the Hidden Killers podcast.

It's difficult to imagine. A young kid, barely 14 years old, suddenly thrust into the glaring

lights of fame and fortune, a kid whose biggest worry should have been high school crushes and

curfews instead found himself at the top of the world,

adored by millions, and living a life most could only dream of. But beneath the shiny exterior,

there was something darker, something more insidious lurking behind the scenes. Justin Bieber,

the fresh-faced teenager with the voice that captured hearts

around the globe, was becoming a household name. At 15, he was already a global phenomenon.

His chart-topping single baby was everywhere. Everywhere. His rise was meteoric, and so was the

attention he garnered from fans, from the media,

and from powerful figures in the music industry.

One of those figures was Sean Diddy Combs.

Diddy, a name synonymous with success and power in the entertainment world,

was no stranger to the limelight.

By the time Justin entered the scene, Diddy had already built a formidable empire.

He was the kind of person young stars would look up to, a symbol of everything they wanted to be.

For Bieber, it seemed like a golden opportunity, but what Justin couldn't have known at that tender age

was that he was being introduced to something far darker than fame and fortune.

And that's where our story begins.

In footage that has resurfaced over the years, Diddy, then in his early 40s, can be seen with a young Justin, barely a teenager.

It was more than just a casual friendship.

In one particular video, Diddy, standing beside 15-year-old Bieber, said to the camera,

...