Jonathan Majors: Jury Reaches Verdict In Actor's Assault Trial

The assault trial of Marvel star Jonathan Majors has ended after almost two weeks of court hearings. On Thursday, December 14, a jury comprising six New Yorkers began deliberations following the closing arguments from the defense and prosecutors.

On March 25, the actor was arrested for allegedly assaulting his ex-girlfriend Grace Jabbari during a fight in the back of a hired black Cadillac Escalade. Majors has been charged with four misdemeanor counts of assault and harassment and has since pleaded not guilty.

After deliberating for two days, the jury finally reached a verdict.

On Monday, December 18th, the jury found Jonathan Majors guilty of two of the four misdemeanor charges against him. Majors was found guilty of misdemeanor assault and harassment in connection with the assault incident involving his ex-girlfriend, Grace Jabbari, back on March 25th.

The jury found him not guilty of intentional assault in the third degree and not guilty of aggravated harassment in the second degree against Jabbari.

The presiding judge, Judge Michael Gaffey, scheduled sentencing for February 6 and issued a new order of protection. Majors faces up to one year in jail for his crimes.

In March, it was revealed that "Loki" actor Majors was involved in a domestic conflict with a 30-year-old woman, who was later identified as Jabbari, according to a statement made by the police.

"The victim informed police she was assaulted," a rep for the police said at the time. "Officers placed the 33-year-old male into custody without incident. The victim sustained minor injuries to her head and neck and was removed to an area hospital in stable condition."

Majors was accused of several misdemeanor counts of harassment and assault two days after his arrest. This included three counts of assault in the third degree, one count of aggravated harassment in the second degree, and three counts of attempted assault in the third degree.

The lawsuit filed by the Manhattan District Attorney's Office against Majors also mentioned the details of the altercation between the actor and the victim. It was alleged that Majors struck her "about the face with an open hand, causing substantial pain and a laceration behind her ear" and that he held her roughly by her hand and neck, "causing bruising and substantial pain."

Majors pleaded not guilty to all charges.

On the first day of Majors' trial, which began in November, there was a closed hearing which featured a heated debate over sealed evidence against Majors described as "prejudicial and inflammatory" by the presiding judge, Judge Michael Gaffey.

The hearing lasted almost an hour, and the judge initially barred the press from the courtroom. He later allowed them back into the court and revealed that he would rule on the defense team's notion to keep the sealed evidence on Majors out of trial the following morning.

On the second day of the trial, a jury of six New Yorkers, three men and three women, was selected. Judge Gaffey enforced the seal on evidence, which the DA had tried to introduce to the case under the Molineux rule, a legal standard in New York that permits the use of prior, dropped charges of criminal activity in a new trial. The evidence was reportedly information on previous incidents involving Majors in the U.K. and U.S.

Judge Gaffey also ruled that the jury would hear evidence regarding Jabbari, who was also arrested for the physical violence incident in October after Majors filed a counter-claim in June. The DA's office did not prosecute Jabbari.

On the third day of the trial, opening statements began. The defense and the prosecutors brought forward varying accounts of what happened on March 25. Majors' lawyer, Priya Chaudhry, painted Jabbari as a woman out for revenge due to Majors' alleged cheating, which started the fight in the car. She also highlighted the 30-year-old's nightclub outing after the fight with Majors and pleaded with the jury to "end his nightmare."

The prosecutors, on the other hand, accused Majors of hitting Jabbari multiple times during the fight, with District Attorney Michael Perez stating that the actor had "manipulated [Jabbar] in the past and trained her to stay silent."

On the fourth day of the trial, Jabbari took the witness stand for the first time. She tearfully recounted the events from the fateful night, claiming that she was left in pain after he pulled and twisted her arm over her attempts to check his phone for a text message from an unknown person. She recalled their conversation from the morning of the incident and how all she could think about was the actors' "infidelity."

Jabbari also recounted other past incidents of alleged emotional abuse from Majors, including one where he branded himself a monster and threatened to commit suicide and another where he allegedly yelled at her for talking about her ex-boyfriend's dogs.

On the fifth day of the trial, Jabbari's testimony continued with her stating that Majors knew what he did to her. She recalled trying to reach out to him after the fight in an attempt to gain some closure and how she locked the doors in their shared apartment on her return in order to feel "safe."

The 30-year-old dancer also told the court that day that she was scared during the interrogations at the apartment and didn't want to involve the police in their dispute because Majors is a "Black man."

On the sixth day of the trial, Jabbari got emotional while watching footage of herself at the nightclub. She was cross-examined about the use of her injured hand by the defense and how she seemed unhurt while interacting with strangers at the club. Jabbari claimed that she did not feel the pain of her injured finger due to an adrenaline rush.

Jabbari was also shown body-camera footage worn by a police officer who found her in the walk-in closet a day after the alleged fight. She got very emotional and stated that she didn't want to watch the footage.

On the seventh day of the trial, a scathing old text exchange between Jabbari and Majors was read out in court by the alleged victim. It showed the actor pleading with his ex-girlfriend not to go to the hospital to treat a head wound, claiming it would cause an investigation. The text also showed Majors threatening to commit suicide.

On the eighth day of the trial, a key witness to the fight, Majors' hired driver, Naveed Sarwar, testified against Jabbari, accusing her of being the aggressor. He claimed all Majors tried to do during the fight was "get rid" of Huckstepp, whom he said "hit" the actor.

On the ninth day of the trial, Jonathan Majors' 911 phone call from the day after the altercation was played in court. It depicted a seemingly distraught Majors asking for help for his "ex-girlfriend," whom he feared had overdosed or committed suicide. The actor was given orders from the 911 dispatcher on what to do before the arrival of emergency personnel.

On the tenth day of the trial, it was confirmed that Majors had opted not to testify. That day, the court heard from three witnesses: NYPD Detective Ronnie Meija, who reviewed Majors' case; Dr. Tammy Weiner, an emergency medicine physician who spoke as a medical expert; and the actor's talent agent, Elan Ruspoli. Both the defense and prosecutors rested their case.

On the eleventh day of the trial, the defense and prosecutors had their closing arguments. Majors' lawyer argued that Jabbari was a "liar" who told "white lies and pretty lies." She claimed that the dancer made up false scenarios and "bent reality" to fit her narrative. The defense also implied that Majors was a victim of racial bias.

For the prosecution's part, they maintained that Jabbari was assaulted by Majors, alluding to the video evidence of the actor seemingly shoving the accuser into the vehicle on the night of the incident. They also claimed that what Majors had done was not an isolated case.

Since the news of the alleged assault hit the internet, Majors' career has been severely impacted. The actor was set to executive produce the next movie version of Walter Mosley's 2004 book, "The Man in My Basement," but was removed due to the allegations. Majors was also reportedly dropped from an advertising campaign for the Texas Rangers MLB team.