Jury in the Jonathan Majors assault trial to begin deliberating
By Alli Rosenbloom and Nicki Brown, CNN
(CNN) — Jurors in the assault trial against actor Jonathan Majors now have the case and will begin deliberations.
The trial, which began on December 4, stems from a March 25 domestic dispute involving Majors and his former girlfriend, Grace Jabbari. Majors has pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor charges of assault and aggravated harassment. He faces up to one year in prison if convicted.
Majors did not testify during the trial, but he was present in the New York City courtroom for the duration of the proceedings.
During Thursday’s closing arguments, prosecutors alleged Majors “didn’t hesitate to use physical violence” against Jabbari in the March dispute when he grabbed Jabbari’s right hand, twisted her arm behind her back and then “struck a blow” to her head.
Priya Chaudhry, Majors attorney, reiterated his innocence during her closing argument, calling the accusations against him “fake” and alleging that Jabbari was the aggressor in the March dispute.
On Thursday, while his defense team and the prosecutors were presenting their closing arguments, Majors was seen dabbing his eyes with a tissue.
According to the New York Times, Jabbari testified on December 5 that Majors assaulted her in the backseat of a car during the March dispute, which prosecutors said happened after Jabbari saw a romantic text message on his phone from someone else.
Through his attorney, Majors denied the allegations against him in a statement to CNN in August.
On Wednesday, several pieces of evidence that were introduced by prosecutors at trial and presented to the six-person jury were released to the public. The evidence includes a text exchange between Majors and Jabbari from a dispute in September 2022 in which Majors wrote he was considering suicide and he tried to dissuade Jabbari from seeking medical attention for a head injury.
Other pieces of evidence include an audio recording also from September 2022 taken by Jabbari in which Majors is heard telling her to act like Michelle Obama and Coretta Scott King to support him, photos of Jabbari’s bodily injuries allegedly caused by Majors in their March dispute, and a 911 call of Majors speaking with authorities after he found Jabbari unconscious in their home the following day.
Security camera footage related to the March incident was also released on Wednesday and obtained by CNN.
It shows Jabbari running after Majors down a sidewalk and Majors attempting to move Jabbari back into a car the two had been riding in.
Majors was featured in “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” with a significant role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe portraying the character Kang. CNN reported in October that Disney has removed “Magazine Dreams,” a film starring Majors that was due out on December 8, from its release calendar.
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