Jonathan Majors’ domestic assault trial is reportedly nearing a verdict. As The Shade Room previously reported, Major is accused of assaulting his ex-girlfriend, Grace Jabbari. The incident allegedly occurred on March 25 while the pair were in a taxi.
Additionally, the actor was subsequently charged with harassment, strangulation, and assault. However, Majors has maintained his innocence and even filed a cross-complaint against Jabbari, accusing her of unreported domestic abuse.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, closing arguments for the actor’s domestic assault trial were given on Thursday, December 14. Now, the jury will deliberate a verdict.
RELATED: Surveillance Footage Of Jonathan Majors & Grace Jabbari On Night Of Alleged Altercation Is Released (VIDEO)
More Details Regarding The Witnesses Called For Jonathan Majors’ Defense
According to Rolling Stone, Jonathan Majors’ defense attorneys shared their closing arguments on Thursday, December 14. PEOPLE reports that the prosecution rested its case on Wednesday, December 13, after twelve witnesses testified since the trial’s start on Monday, December 4.
Later that day, proceedings resumed with the defense team bringing three witnesses to testify.
This reportedly included Detective Ronnie Mejia, who arrested Jabbari after Majors’ cross-complaint in October. PEOPLE reports that Mejia accepted Major’s counter statement over a FaceTime call and allowed the actor’s lawyer to “write out the domestic incident report on his behalf.”
According to the outlet, this is a violation of NYPD protocol.
The next witness included Dr. Tammy Weiner, a reported expert in emergency medicine, who testified that Jabbari’s injuries were inconsistent with photographs and X-rays. Additionally, the outlet notes that Weiner has never met Jabbari or worked in the hospital where the woman was treated after the alleged attack.
Major’s third witness included his agent, Elan Ruspoli. Ruspoli testified that Majors called him with “fear and concern” after the actor returned to his and Jabbari’s apartment to find her “passed out.” As The Shade Room previously reported, Majors allegedly thought Jabbari made a suicide attempt.
The defense team took one day to share witness testimony, resting their case after Ruspoli left the stand on Wednesday.
Majors did not testify on his own behalf.
More Information Regarding The Defense Team’s Closing Arguments
According to Rolling Stone, Majors’ attorney, Priya Chaudhry, gave the defense team’s closing arguments on Thursday, December 14.
Good morning from 100 Centre Street. Jonathan Majors returns to court in his domestic violence trial for closing statements this morning. Correcting prior tweet. I know it's not openings. I'm just very tired and fatigue+typing=not good! pic.twitter.com/94tcW8rUeP
— Victoria Bekiempis (@vicbekiempis) December 14, 2023
Chaudry reportedly alleged that the prosecution has given into Jabbari’s “white lies” and “fantasies.”
“You don’t get to destroy people’s lives with your fantasies,” Chaudhry reportedly told the court. “Grace is not on trial, but maybe she should be.”
The outlet reports that Majors and his now-girlfriend, fellow actor Meagan Good, began to cry when Chaudry voiced Majors’ fears about “how dangerous it is for a Black man to call the police “in America.” As The Shade Room previously reported, Majors called the police after finding Jabbari passed out in their closet.
“Like the cops and before any real investigation, [prosecutors] immediately decided who they saw as a criminal,” Chaudhry explained. “They chose to contort reality and accept Grace’s lies … They want you to [see] the world through their minds: Grace is a victim, and Jonathan is a criminal. The People need you to believe Grace’s lies in order to convict this innocent man.”
Additionally, the outlet reports that Chaudry played a video of Jabbari using her “injured” finger after Majors’ alleged attack. Jabbari’s additional alleged injuries included a “fractured finger, bruising about her body, a laceration behind her right ear, and a bump on her head,” per Rolling Stone.
“This whole trial has been about what happened in that car, even though the People want this trial to be about arguments from months and years ago,” Chaudhry told the court, per The Hollywood Reporter. “What happened in the car is obvious. The real mystery is what happened after Grace got home?”
More Details Regarding The Prosecution’s Closing Arguments & What Happens Next
According to Deadline, a recess followed the defense team’s closing arguments. Then, the court resumed with the prosecution’s closing arguments.
The outlet reports that prosecutors alleged there’s “voluminous” evidence proving Majors “got physically violent” with Jabbari on March 25.
“What it really boils down to is four simple words: control, domination, manipulation and abuse,” Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Kelli Galaway reportedly told jurors.
“If this was a grand plan, why would she fail to cooperate?” District Attorney Galaway reportedly asked jurors, referring to Jabbari’s initial text messages to Majors after the alleged incident.
RELATED: UPDATE: Jonathan Majors’ Attorney Releases Alleged Texts From Assault Accuser— “I Told Them It Was My Fault”
“And even when she went to … a hospital, she didn’t tell them what happened,” Galaway added, per Deadline. “Is the action of someone whose sole intent is to bring a man down?… Why would she put herself through this? For what?”
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the prosecutors reiterated to the court that the charges against Majors were brought by the state rather than Jabbari herself.
Additionally, the DA alleged that the taxi driver present during the ex-couple’s alleged altercation gave a biased testimony. As The Shade Room previously reported, Naveed Sarwar accused Jabbari of being the aggressor in the incident. District Attorney Galaway alleged this is likely because Majors paid for their car.
Deadline reports that the jury panel consists of “six jurors and two alternates.” Additionally, it is evenly split between men and women.
The group may begin deliberations as soon as Thursday afternoon. As The Shade Room previously reported, Majors has pleaded not guilty to his charges and faces up to one year in prison if convicted.
