Jonathan Majors picked up his then-girlfriend “like she was a doll” and pushed her into the backseat of an SUV when he discovered she had been cheating on him, a prosecutor described at the actor’s trial in Manhattan Thursday — before the jury began deliberating. his fate
In her closing statement, Assistant District Attorney Kelli Galaway argued that the video showing Majors “tiptoeing to get as much strength as possible” before he pushed Jabbari back into their car service was indisputable evidence to convict him of misdemeanor harassment.
The 34-year-old actor — who plays supervillain Kang the Conqueror in Marvel’s “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” — broke down in tears as his own defense attorney accused his ex, Grace Jabbari, of telling “white lies, big lies, and little lies that beautiful” as part of a prosecution that lawyers say is racially motivated.
“His fear of what happens when a black man in America calls 911 comes true,” Priya Chaudhry said in Manhattan Criminal Court as Majors, wearing a black suit and black tie, wiped tears from her cheeks with a tissue.
Jonathan Majors entered the courtroom with his current girlfriend Meagan Good. AP
Majors was arrested in March when police found injuries on Jabbari, 30, after the actor called them to his Chelsea apartment in the morning following a fight in a private car that erupted when prosecutors said Jabbari grabbed his phone to view flirtatious texts from a woman named “Cleopatra.”
During four days of grueling testimony – which included several instances of a sobbing Jabbari leaving the seat to rest – the British dancer and movement coach told jurors that Majors delivered “a hard blow to my head,” peeled his fingers off his phone and twisted. his arms behind him in the struggle.
Body cam footage from Jonathan Majors’ trial shows police interviewing his accuser, Grace Jabbari, in the actor’s Chelsea apartment. Manhattan DA
Surveillance video from the scene shows Majors picking up Jabbari and shoving him several times into a black Cadillac Escalade after it stopped in Chinatown.
The video shows Jabbari eventually following Majors out of the SUV and to the corner of Middle and Canal Streets, where he extends his arms to push her away before speeding away — with him chasing her for several city blocks.
The other two charges Major is facing, for willfully and recklessly assaulting Jabbari, are tied to the part of the altercation that took place inside the back seat of the Cadillac Escalade, rather than outside of it.
Surveillance video shows Majors picking up Jabbari and pushing him several times back into the black Cadillac Escalade. Manhattan District Attorney / MEGA
The six jurors began deliberating about 3:30 p.m., and Majors’ fate may be determined by whether the panel believes Jabbari’s account of what happened that night.
The sole witness to the alleged attack, the driver of the car, told the jury that he did not see what happened because he was looking “straight ahead” down the road.
The driver claimed to have a “feeling” that Jabbari was the intruder, but he also said that he was paid by Majors, and admitted to knowing the actor before.
Jonathan Majors and his girlfriend Meagan Good arrived in court today. Steven Hirsch
The driver’s testimony “revealed that he was a biased witness to the man who paid him,” Galaway, the prosecutor, said Thursday.
The ADA also presented evidence of Majors’ past behavior unearthed during the two-week trial — including that he begged Jabbari not to go to the hospital after he was injured in a separate September 2022 incident — in an effort to paint the alleged assault as the culmination of a campaign of “manipulation and abuse.” for months.
Majors threatened to kill himself after Jabbari told the “Loki” star he would “tell the doctor I hit my head,” trial evidence revealed.
Suicide threats are “not a mental health crisis,” Galaway said Thursday.
Majors court painting. Jane Rosenberg
“This is a strategically planned tactic to ensure Ms. Jabbari’s compliance,” he added.
Meanwhile, Chaudhry accused Jabbari of “revenge partying” after the alleged March attack by going to a club with a group of people who offered to help him.
Defense attorneys drew the jury’s attention to footage of Jabbari burning a glass of champagne, brushing her hair back and signing a check with her right hand, despite her testimony that Majors had broken her right middle finger when she peeled it off her phone.
The footage shows Jabbari chasing Majors down the street in Manhattan. Manhattan District Attorney / MEGA
“You can’t destroy people’s lives with your fantasy,” Chaudhry said of Jabbari.
Chaudhry also pointed out that Jabbari was the one seen on camera chasing Major after the alleged assault – which Jabbari witnessed happened because he was angry about Majors’ alleged cheating and wanted answers.
“He’s not pretending he’s okay with being cheated on,” Galaway said Thursday. “What he’s focused on is his devastation about the infidelity.”
Jonathan Majors, accompanied by girlfriend Meagan Good, enters a courtroom at Manhattan Criminal Court in New York, Thursday, Dec. 14, 2023. AP
“I submit to you that Ms. Jabbari testified candidly,” the prosecutor added. “When he doesn’t know the answer, he says he doesn’t know.”
“He gives you as much detail as he can about what happened in a short meeting.”
Majors could face up to a year in prison, if convicted.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
