Jonathan Majors Trial Day 11: Jury Begins Deliberations After Closing Arguments

The end of Marvel star Jonathan Majors' assault trial draws near as members of the jury begin deliberations on Thursday after the closing arguments from both parties. The defense and prosecutors rested their case on Wednesday following cross-examinations and redirects of multiple witnesses, including the alleged abuse victim, Grace Jabbari, who testified for four consecutive days.

Majors, facing up to a year in prison if found guilty of assault and harassment, did not testify in the domestic violence trial. He has been present in court since the beginning of the trial, with his girlfriend of a few months, actress Meagan Good, by his side.

In a surprising turn of events, the Manhattan District Attorney's Office allowed the release of multiple video and audio evidence to the public. They include footage of Jabbari chasing after Majors following the alleged car dispute and a body-worn camera clip of Jabbari lying on the floor of her and Majors' walk-in closet the day after the alleged assault incident.

A jury comprising six New Yorkers has begun deliberations to decide if actor Majors is guilty or not guilty of assaulting and harassing his ex-girlfriend, Jabbari. The deliberations started after the closing arguments from Majors' defense team and the prosecutors.

During the closing arguments, Majors' defense attorney alluded to the racial undertones of the criminal trial of a "Black man" accused of striking a white woman, telling the jury that "his fear of what happens when a Black man in America calls 911 came true, and now we're here."

According to Courthouse News, Priya Chaudhry, one of Majors' lawyers, argued before the jury that the Loki actor was being prosecuted "because the police made up their minds on sight."

"They took a look at Mr. Majors and they made up their minds. They decided who was the victim and who was the criminal, and then they asked Grace if Mr. Majors had done this to her," Chaudhry stated.

She continued, "They bought her white lies, they bought her big lies... Who else bought her lies? These prosecutors bought Grace's white lies, her big lies and all her pretty little lies."

Chaudry brought up a witness to the alleged violent altercation, Majors' driver, Naveed Sarwar's testimony. The driver had accused Jabbari of being the aggressor in the altercation and claimed that Majors did nothing but try to "get rid" of his ex-girlfriend.

"[Jabbari] was yelling at [Majors] and they were having an argument. I had a feeling [Jabbari] had hit [Majors] earlier, the way she was fighting and the sounds produced," Sarwar told the court on Monday, December 11.

Alluding to his account of things, Chaudry said to the jury, "You heard from the driver who told you that Grace had attacked Jonathan all night, that Jonathan asked to stop the car, that Jonathan was trying to get rid of her, that he was trying to get her to leave him alone."

Majors' lawyers accused Jabbari of causing her own injuries, emphasizing the 30-year-old dancer's night out after the alleged fight in March.

They claimed that her injuries may have been a result of Jabbari falling from being drunk and taking sleeping pills at the apartment she shared with her now ex-boyfriend on the night of the incident.

"She was revenge partying and charging champagne to the man she was angry with," Chaudhry said to the jurors, per Courthouse News, while displaying images from Jabbari at a night club where she could be seen drinking champagne and mingling with strangers.

The lawyer then told the jury that the prosecutors had failed to prove, beyond a reasonable doubt, that Majors was the reason behind Jabbari's injuries.

"Videos prove that is not true. Their own witnesses prove that that is not true. The medical evidence proves that that is not true," Chaudhry said, adding, "You can't believe anything that Grace says about what happened in that car, let alone all of it."

In her closing argument, Chaudhry also brought up the alleged absence of blood in Jabbari's hair, begging the Jurors to take it into consideration when determining if Majors caused the cut behind his ex-girlfriend's ear.

"There was no blood in Grace's hair," Chaudhry stated. "There's no blood on Grace's fingers as she keeps touching her ear. There's no blood anywhere. Grace bends reality and these prosecutors contort themselves to keep up."

The lawyer seemed emotional as she closed her argument, proclaiming, "You are here to end this nightmare for Jonathan Majors. You are here to see what is obvious. Jonathan Majors is innocent."

Following this, Majors embraced Chaudry as she made her way back to the defense table.

In their closing argument, the prosecution, led by Assistant District Attorney Kelli Galloway, stressed that the actor attacked Jabbari and that the evidence is in the footage of him allegedly trying to shove his ex-girlfriend into the vehicle during their altercation.

"Because we have a video showing the defendant repeatedly shoving Ms. Jabbari against the black Escalade, we know the defendant is guilty of assault in the third degree," Galloway stated.

She disputed Majors' team's counterarguments that Jabbari was the aggressor and he was the victim, saying, "You didn't see any evidence that defendant was attacked."

The lawyer told the jury, "What this really boils down to is four simple words: control, domination, manipulation, and abuse. The tactics used by those who commit domestic violence against partners, against Grace."

Galloway brought up the old text exchange between the former couple, claiming that it showed how Majors coerced Jabbari into doing what he wanted during their relationship.

According to the prosecution, the attack on March 25 was not an isolated incident in their relationship but rather the most recent escalation in what they claim to be a pattern of Majors' abuse of Jabbari. Over the course of the trial, Jabbari has recounted past events between her and Majors, during which she claimed the actor abused her emotionally.

Majors, who chose not to testify, has since pleaded not guilty to all charges. But if the jury finds him guilty, the actor could face at least one year in prison.