Once-rising Hollywood star Jonathan Majors was found guilty Monday of assaulting his then-girlfriend Grace Jabbari inside a private car service in Manhattan, crippling his prospects of headlining future films in the Marvel franchise.
The 34-year-old actor, who played supervillain Kang the Conqueror in 2023’s “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,” was convicted by a Manhattan jury of misdemeanor assault and harassment as rape, after Jabbari, 30, will testify that she lived in fear of his violent outbursts during a traumatic two-year relationship that ended when he dealt her a “hard blow” to the head earlier this year.
Within hours of the verdict, Marvel Studios, a Disney subsidiary, decided to fire Majors. The film studio had planned for Majors to play Kang the Conqueror in at least two upcoming films: “Avengers: The Kang Dynasty” in 2026 and “Avengers: Secret Wars” in 2027.
He faces up to a year behind bars at his sentencing on Feb. 6, although he is more likely to receive a sentence of probation without jail time.
Majors leaves Manhattan Criminal Court at the conclusion of his assault and harassment trial. Stephen Yang for the New York Post
Majors, who made no comment as he left Manhattan Criminal Court holding hands with his new girlfriend, actress Meagan Good, stood stoically in his silver double-breasted suit as the jury issued its decision after about seven hours of deliberations over three days.
The March altercation at the center of the case broke out in the back seat of a black Cadillac Escalade when Jabbari snatched Majors’ cell phone after seeing a flirtatious text message, which said “I wish I was kissing you,” from another woman named “Cleopatra,” trial testimony revealed.
As Majors tried to remove his phone, Jabbari tried to “protect himself” by moving his body away from the actor, he told jurors.
Majors then twisted her arm behind her back, causing her “excruciating pain,” grabbed her fingers and hit her with his open hand, Jabbari testified.
Jonathan Majors and his girlfriend Meagan Good leave court after the jury found him guilty in his assault and harassment case in Manhattan Criminal Court in New York City, U.S., on December 18, 2023. Steven Hirsch
“I felt like I had been hit hard on the head,” the soft-spoken blonde told the jury, slamming the microphone on the witness stand in front of her to demonstrate the impact of the blow.
Majors has maintained his innocence since his March 25 arrest, with his attorneys arguing that Jabbari was the aggressor during the altercation and that prosecutors failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the actor caused his injuries.
He was acquitted of the other two charges he faced, one of assault and one of harassment, which required the jury to find that he acted with intent.
The two-week trial revealed Majors’ “cycle of psychological and emotional abuse,” Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said in a statement.
Jonathan Majors and his girlfriend Meagan Good appear in court on Monday. Steven Hirsch
“We thank the jury for their service and the survivor for bravely telling her story despite having to relive her trauma on the stand.”
Jabbari testified at the trial for four days and left the stand in tears as she reviewed past examples of Majors’ alleged violent behavior and rewatched footage of police officers questioning her as she lay half-naked on the floor of Majors’ locker room. .
His attorney, Ross Kramer, called the verdict “justice served.”
Majors and his girlfriend Meagan Good arrive at court. Majors was sentenced Monday. Steven Hirsch Majors’ roles in future Marvel films could be in doubt following the verdict. Steven Hirsch
“We hope his actions inspire other survivors to speak their truth and seek justice,” Kramer said in a statement.
Majors, who chose not to testify, attended the trial wearing a variety of different double-breasted suits and with his new girlfriend on his arm as he walked in and out of the courtroom.
He also glanced occasionally at a gold-leaf Bible that he carried to and from the defense table.
The actor is “disappointed” by the verdict, but still “has faith in the process and hopes to fully clear his name,” his lawyer, Priya Chaudhry, said in a statement.
Surveillance video presented at trial showed Majors picking up Jabbari, a dancer and movement coach he met in 2021 on the set of “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,” and pushing her several times into the SUV. rental black after she stopped at Center and Canal streets in Chinatown.
Jabbari, a dancer and movement coach, sobbed on the stand as she testified about her tumultuous relationship with Majors. Steven Hirsch
Jabbari was treated at Bellevue Hospital the morning after the incident for a cut to her right ear and a fracture to her right middle finger, prosecutors said.
The trial also uncovered evidence of Majors’ past alarming behavior during her relationship with Jabbari, including that she allegedly begged her ex not to see a doctor after she suffered a head injury in a separate incident in September 2022.
“I’m afraid you have no perspective on what could happen if you go to the hospital,” the “Creed III” actor wrote. “They’ll ask you questions, and since I don’t think you’re really protecting us, it could lead to an investigation even if you lie and they suspect something.”
The full text exchange was partially redacted, but trial evidence revealed that Jabbari responded that if he sought treatment, he would “tell the doctor I hit my head.”
“Why would I tell them what really happened when it’s clear I want to be with you?” she added.
Surveillance cameras captured Majors lifting Jabbari off the ground and pushing her back into a black van in Chinatown. Manhattan District Attorney/MEGA Jabbari testified at the trial for four days and left the witness stand in tears as she reviewed past examples of Majors’ alleged violent behavior. Manhattan District Attorney’s Office
In a twist, the embarrassing texts only came to light after Majors’ lawyer Chaudhry “opened the door” for them by relentlessly questioning Jabbari about why he gave police and doctors vague answers about the March episode. , the court concluded.
Judge Michael Gaffey then ruled that prosecutors should be allowed to provide additional context about why Jabbari may have been cautious about telling authorities the truth about what happened.
The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office also played jurors a recording of Majors lecturing Jabbari that she needed to behave more like the wives of other notable men, such as Barack Obama and Martin Luther King Jr., and “make sacrifices for him.”
“I am a great man. A great man. “I am doing great things, not only for myself but for my culture and for the world,” says the actor in the September 2022 recording, made by Jabbari.
Majors had been upset with Jabbari at the time for going out to a pub with a friend despite his demands that she attend to his needs while he prepared for a role, he testified.
Jabbari was treated for a cut on her right ear the day after the altercation. Manhattan District Attorney/MEGA Jabbari Reveals Footage of Majors’ Alleged Injury of Her. Manhattan District Attorney/MEGA The two-week trial revealed Majors’ “cycle of psychological and emotional abuse,” Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said in a statement. Manhattan District Attorney / MEGA
“I’d like to get to the point where your friends know what job I’m on and they’re like, ‘I think Grace’s going to be out of commission,’” Majors says in the recording.
Jurors also heard how Majors, according to Jabbari, was both a “loving” boyfriend who left her handwritten notes early in their relationship, and an erratic partner prone to angry outbursts.
“It just exploded,” Jabbari testified of a July 2022 incident in which he said Majors smashed candles and other household items against his bedroom wall.
“His face just changes when he gets to that place,” he added.
Wiping tears from her face, Jabbari also explained on the stand why she repeatedly decided to stay with Majors despite her fears about his frequent outbursts.
“I felt like I had to keep secrets from everyone,” he testified. “I felt quite confused because I was very afraid of him, but I also depended on him a lot.”
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Source: vtt.edu.vn