A Manhattan jury took up deliberations Thursday in the domestic violence case against Jonathan Majors, the Marvel and “Creed III” actor accused of physically assaulting his ex-girlfriend the night they ended a two-year relationship in March.
The four criminal misdemeanor charges could carry a penalty of up to a year in jail, although probation and community service are common sentences in cases of this nature. But any guilty verdict would surely be a blow to the rising star’s career, which has hung in the balance now for months.
The jury panel of three men and three women heard nearly two weeks of testimony, including an emotional three days for Grace Jabbari, the 30-year-old British national deep into a “serious” relationship with Majors the night she saw a text message on his phone from another woman. Jabbari testified that after she grabbed the phone away, Majors broke her finger, twisted her arm and struck her in the head while wresting it back in the backseat of a hired Cadillac Escalade.
Majors’ defense team says it was Jabbari who was the aggressor that night, and showed the jury images of the professional dancer out partying with strangers whom she met on the street immediately following the Chinatown scuffle. They also played video of Majors sprinting through the darkened streets to get away from Jabbari, who pursues him.
Jurors also heard a recording of Majors speaking with a dispatcher for 9-1-1, which he had called the next morning when he found Jabbari locked inside his Chelsea apartment because she was unconscious and he had feared for her safety.
“His fear of what happens when a Black man in America calls 9-1-1 came true. And now we’re here,” defense attorney Priya Chaudhry said in her closing statement. “We’re here because police made up their minds on sight.”
Majors did not take the stand to testify on his own behalf. He arrived in court every day with his new girlfriend, the actress Meagan Good, and carrying a Bible and a notebook. He often greeted family members in attendance with hugs and kisses, and did not make eye contact with Jabbari when she spoke, often breaking down and having to leave the witness box.
Prosecutors opened the trial seeking to paint Majors as a serial abuser and manipulator. Jabbari testified last week that months of escalating, volatile outbursts and controlling behavior led up to the March 25 fight.
Chaudhry called Jabbari a compulsive liar bent on revenge against her ex-boyfriend whom she caught having an affair, and suggested that she sustained her injuries somewhere in her night of “revenge partying.” According to The Associated Press, Majors dabbed his eyes as his lawyer ended by saying, “end this nightmare for Jonathan Majors,” and the two hugged after she finished.
Majors faces up to a year in jail if convicted on four counts including misdemeanor assault, aggravated harassment and harassment.
