Bebeto Matthews/AP
The judge in Jonathan Majors' domestic violence trial has approved the release of numerous pieces of evidence from the case, including voice recordings of Majors chastising his ex-girlfriend, a video of Majors pushing her back into a car, photos of the two of them injuries, and his text messages begging her not to go to the hospital for a head injury.
Judge Michael Gaffey had previously said any evidence presented to jurors during the trial would be made public after the trial concluded, but as the trial stretched into its second week, Gaffey agreed Wednesday to release certain materials presented in court .
Majors, 34, was arrested March 25 for allegedly assaulting his then-girlfriend Grace Jabbari after she grabbed his phone when she saw Majors receiving a romantic text message from another woman. He is accused of twisting Jabbari's arm behind her back, crushing her fingers and punching her in the back of the head before pushing her back into the car as she tried to follow him out.
Majors – who maintains his innocence and has pleaded not guilty to the charges – faces up to a year in prison if convicted of four misdemeanor counts of assault and harassment. His defense team claimed Jabbari was the attacker that night and made “false accusations” as an “act of revenge.”
Now prosecutors have released surveillance video that shows some of the altercations between Majors and Jabbari in the car. (There is no footage from inside the car as the video camera was not working at the time.) Majors is seen getting out of the car and Jabbari tries to follow him. Majors is seen lifting Jabbari up and repeatedly pushing her back in. Majors is then seen holding Jabbari by the arm and quickly leading her across the street before dropping her arm and running away.
Another video shows Jabbari running after Majors until she finds a group of strangers who, in a panic, tell them that Majors cheated on her and didn't have her phone or purse to get home. Majors is then seen walking past Jabbari and the group before Jabbari follows him. They are seen getting in and out of the car several more times before Majors goes to a hotel and Jabbari leaves with the strangers.
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The evidence included photographs taken by Jabbari of her injuries, which showed Jabbari's bruised and red-looking middle finger and a bloody cut behind her ear. Photos taken by police show the purple-looking finger and additional photos of the cut behind her ear.
Prosecutors have presented their case to several witnesses, including Jabbari. The 30-year-old professional dancer and movement coach, who testified over four days, spoke about the couple's allegedly turbulent relationship after they met on the set of “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” in 2021. Jabbari said things progressed quickly at the majors. He confessed his love to her early on and wrote her poems. “I felt very loved and cared for and very seen,” she said. “I understood him and he understood me.” However, in December this year, Jabbari said she had become increasingly afraid of Majors, describing several instances in which Majors allegedly flew into a “rage” and threw blunt and glass objects near her .
Prosecutors showed photos of the aftermath of a fight in July 2022 in Los Angeles. Majors was preparing for a bodybuilding role in Magazine Dreams – which has since been shelved – when the actor reportedly became angry with Jabbari. “He exploded,” Jabbari said, claiming Majors screamed in her face as she tried to hide from him in the bedroom afterward. Majors allegedly threw glass objects near Jabbari, leaving shards of glass on the floor and a dent in the wall.
The photo shows objects and candles scattered on the floor next to broken glass. On a nearby table is what looks like a Bible. Jabbari said she took the photo of the damage because “I was aware of how his mood was changing.” I know I have forgiven him over and over again, and I wanted to create a reminder of that [the incident].”
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Manhattan District Attorney's Office
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While filming the Disney+ show “Loki” in London in September 2022, Jabbari testified that Majors was upset with her because she had a friend over and they went out for drinks at a nearby pub and around the same time as Majors and his coach returned home. Jabbari claimed she noticed Major's mood change as the group ordered dinner and led her friend and the trainer out of the house. The next day, she claims Majors ripped headphones out of her ears and said she was “stupid” if she didn't know what she had done. Jabbari later claimed that Majors said he wanted her out of her home and allegedly began throwing items around the room, stuffing her personal items into bags and throwing some items in the trash.
The couple later reconciled, Jabbari testified, but Majors was reportedly upset that she didn't take full blame for the argument. In a voice recording, Majors can be heard raising his voice and reprimanding Jabbari, saying he is a “great man” and needs a “great woman.” “How dare you come home drunk and disturb the peace of our house when we have a plan,” Majors is heard saying, while Jabbari apologizes and says she shouldn't have gone out. “I want to get to the point where your friends know what job I have and say, 'I think Grace is going to be off duty.' Do you understand that?”
“Grace has to be in a certain mindset to support – Coretta Scott King, do you know who that is? This is Martin Luther King's wife. Michelle Obama, Barack Obama’s wife,” Majors continues. “Let me just lay it out for you. I'll just say this – my temper, my shit, mine [indiscernible] Blah blah blah – all in all I’m a great man. A great man. I do great things, not only for myself, but also for my culture and for the world. That is actually the situation I find myself in. This is real. I'm not being an idiot. I didn't ask for it. I was working and this is the situation. The woman who supports me – who I support – has to be a great woman and make sacrifices, just as the man ultimately makes for her and for herself. Last night, two nights ago, you didn't do that. You didn't do that, which compromised the plan. And the plan is everything.”
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That same month, Majors pleaded with Jabbari not to go to the hospital for a head injury, according to texts submitted to the court. “It’s simply fake,” Majors wrote in the news. “And I’m afraid you have no idea what might happen if you go to the hospital. They will ask you questions and since I don't believe you are truly protecting us, there could be an investigation even if you lie and they suspect something.” Jabbari's response is partially redacted, but she replies: “I will tell the doctor that I hit my head. If I go, I'll leave it for another day, but I can't sleep and need stronger painkillers.” That's all. Why would I want to tell them what really happened when it’s clear that I want to be with you?”
“I feel like you want to be together so you don't embarrass yourself for everything you've said to your friends and family,” Majors replied. “Last night I thought about killing myself instead of coming home. You said last night that you needed love and I put my feelings aside and tried to give it to you. I NEED love, you. Or maybe I'm such a monster and a terrible man that I don't deserve it and should just kill myself. This way of existing is miserable. I want to die.”
Further conversations between the couple are redacted, but Jabbari responds elsewhere: “I won't go to the doctor if you don't feel safe with me or don't trust me. I promise I would never mention you, but I understand your fear.”
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The trial against the Majors is now in its second week. It is not clear whether Majors will take the stand and testify. Majors' defense attorney, Priya Chaudhry, has claimed that Jabbari was the attacker on the night of the fight, pointing out that Majors' coat was missing buttons and that Majors took photos of scratches on his arm. In June he filed a police report against Jabbari. (The prosecutor's office declined to press charges and sealed the case.) Under cross-examination, Chaudhry questioned Jabbari about her drinking habits and whether she knew that Majors was a devout Christian, wrote poetry and often carried a Bible.
Before his arrest in March, Majors was on track to have his biggest year yet following the releases of Creed III and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. He also received early Oscar attention for his performance as a lonely bodybuilder with violent fantasies in “Magazine Dreams.” However, “Majors” was quickly dropped by both its management and publicist team in the wake of the allegations, and Searchlight Pictures postponed the theatrical release of “Magazine Dreams” indefinitely in December. Only Marvel appears to be left on the Majors' calling card, which planned to focus the next installment of the franchise on the Majors' character, multiverse villain Kang the Conqueror, starting with Avengers: The Kang Dynasty in 2026.