Jonathan Majors is seen leaving court in New York City on December 8, 2023.
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New York Criminal Court Judge Michael Gaffey, who is presiding over Jonathan Majors' trial, on Wednesday authorized the release of several pieces of evidence to the media, and the defense rested its case for the actor after a day of testimony.
Closing arguments are expected to begin Thursday, then the jury will begin deliberations. Majors faces four counts of negligent assault, aggravated harassment and harassment after police responded to a 911 call on March 25. The Marvel actor pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Evidence released Wednesday that was used in full by the prosecution throughout the trial includes photos of Majors' ex-partner Grace Jabbari, which showed dark bruises on her finger and a cut behind her ear after the incident; the Majors' 911 call after the actor found Jabbari in her apartment and said he found her “unconscious”; Bodycam footage of police officers entering the apartment and footage of Jabbari and Majors on the street in front of their personal car, including videos of Majors “throwing” or “placing” Jabbari back into the car, as each was argued by prosecutors the defense team.
The evidence also includes footage of Jabbari chasing Majors down the street after the car stopped, which Jabbari said in her earlier testimony was to get answers about who he was texting. The audio recordings released also include a recording that Jabbari allegedly made of Majors during an unrelated argument in September 2022. in which the actor admonished Jabbari for drinking and told her to be more like Coretta Scott King and Michelle Obama. “My temper, my shit… All in all, I'm a great man. A great man. “I’m doing great things, not just for myself, but for my culture and for the world,” he said.
All of this had previously been shown to the six-member jury and discussed in testimony, but had not been publicly disclosed.
Prosecutors said the March 25 incident began after midnight when Majors and Jabbari were in the car on the way home from dinner in Brooklyn and she noticed a text message on Majors' phone that said, “Oh, how I would like you.” “Kiss.” Jabbari said she grabbed the phone and Majors removed her finger from the phone, grabbed her arm and right hand, twisted her forearm and then hit her right ear.
The Majors' defense team has claimed Jabbari was the attacker in the car and pointed to a torn button on Majors' coat. She maintains that she was uninjured by him, and has indicated that she went dancing at a club after the alleged incident, suggesting that the injuries may have been sustained later there or in the apartment. Jabbari said she went to the club at the invitation of passers-by on the street who asked her for help and then sought comfort from them after the alleged incident.
After the car incident, Majors stayed overnight in a hotel and returned to the apartment he shared with Jabbari the next morning. Majors then called 911 and said it was “a suicide attempt, I believe,” according to the recording released Wednesday, saying, “She's unconscious,” when asked in the recording what exactly happened , he said, “I don’t know.”
“She is my ex-partner. We separated. I came back. She sent me text messages insinuating this. I stayed in a hotel last night. I came home this morning. I knocked on the door. I've been in the apartment for about 20 minutes now. I knocked on the door. I couldn't get in. Finally I went downstairs and asked the doorman to help us. And they let me in through the handyman,” Majors said.
After providing the 911 dispatcher with Jabbari's identity information, the actor asked what he should do while he waits for first responders. Asked if he knew if she hit her head or fell, Majors replied: “No. I think I see a cut behind her ear.”
In her testimony on the witness stand, Jabbari said she returned to the apartment she shared with Majors early that morning and exchanged text messages with him when he ended the relationship. She said she was unable to sleep because of the pain from her injuries, took two sleeping pills and later became ill in the bathroom, where she remained for hours.
When she woke up, police officers were standing around her and said she later learned they had come because Majors had returned home and called 911. She denied any self-harm. Jabbari was taken to hospital where she was assessed for her injuries and evaluated by a psychologist following allegations of self-harm.
In his testimony Wednesday, Elan Ruspoli, Majors' WME agent, briefly commented, saying he spoke with Majors on the morning of March 25 and that the actor was “extremely concerned,” “disturbed” and “worried.” sound. Other witnesses called by the defense included an emergency room doctor who did not treat Jabbari but testified about the nature of her injuries, saying, for example, that when she looked at photos she saw no “evidence of a strong blow to the ear” of the injuries, and Det. Ronnie Mejia, who arrested Jabbari in October.
Majors did not testify in his defense, but as the judge told the jury, he was under no obligation to do so and should not be used against him.
Majors appeared in court every day along with his current partner Meagan Good and family members. The prosecution rested its case on Wednesday after opening statements began on December 4, and the defense team, led by lawyers Priya Chaudhry and Seth Zuckerman, began calling witnesses.