Both the prosecution and the defense clarified their arguments in the trial for alleged bodily harm against Jonathan Majors on Thursday morning. The jury will begin deliberations this afternoon.
Majors faces four charges of third-degree intentional assault, third-degree negligent assault, second-degree aggravated harassment and second-degree harassment. Grace Jabbari, Majors' ex-girlfriend, has accused the actor of attacking her in the backseat of a private car on March 25 after learning of Majors' alleged infidelity. In her statement, she said she took Majors' phone to read a text message from another woman and that he forcibly took her back. Jabbari said this caused bruising, swelling and “excruciating” pain in her right middle finger. The two briefly exited the car, where Jabbari claimed Majors struck her in the back of the head and attempted to push her back into the vehicle, which Jabbari said caused a cut behind her right ear.
Kelli Galloway, the Manhattan assistant district attorney representing Jabbari, claimed in her closing argument that Jabbari was a victim of domestic violence in her relationship with Majors. Jabbari had said that she and Majors wanted to get married and was “devastated” by his infidelity. She also showed previous text messages between the couple in which Majors threatened suicide over a disagreement and discouraged Jabbari from going to a hospital for treatment of a head wound.
“It actually boils down to four simple words: control, domination, manipulation and abuse,” Galloway said. “The tactics of those who commit domestic violence against partners, against Grace.”
Citing the text messages, Galloway said Majors exerted control over Jabbari and forced her to comply with his demands in the relationship.
“When [Majors] “I acted like that before and said not to tell anyone or it would ruin their relationship,” Galloway said. “[Jabbari] Withdrew from family and friends because it felt like she was lying to them. She didn't take care of herself, depended on her [Majors]. He would blame her for upsetting him.”
In the defense's argument, Majors' attorney Priya Chaudhry claimed Jabbari told “white lies, big lies and pretty little lies” and couldn't remember how she sustained her injuries because she was drinking.
“Grace distorts reality,” Chaudhry said in her closing arguments. She said NYPD officers arrested Majors because he was black and were biased because they believed Jabbari, a white woman, when she gave her account of her injuries.
Jabbari said when she returned to the apartment she shared with Majors, she took two sleeping pills because she couldn't sleep because of the pain. That morning she woke up on the floor of a walk-in closet, unsure how she got there. When Majors arrived at the apartment, he was unable to enter the room where Jabbari was and needed the help of a repairman. He called 911, thinking Jabbari had overdosed or committed suicide. NYPD officers responded to the call and documented Jabbari's injuries as she explained what happened to the Majors the night before. Officers determined a domestic incident had occurred and arrested Majors.
“His fear of what would happen if a black person in America called 911 came true. And now we are here,” Chaudhry said. “We are here because the police made an immediate decision.” Majors, who appeared in court every day, reached for tissues at that moment and began wiping his eyes.
“You are here to end this nightmare for Jonathan Majors,” Chaudhry said as he choked. “Jonathan Majors is innocent.” As she finished her closing argument, she and Majors hugged at her desk.
The defense claimed that Jabbari suffered no injuries in the car with Majors and that she was the aggressor in the altercation. Chaudhry argued that Jabbari was drunk after going to a club after the Majors incident and sustained the injuries to her finger and ear when she returned to her apartment and fell into the closet.
After the incident with Majors, Jabbari was left on the street and met three strangers on Manhattan's Lower East Side and told them what had happened. They comforted her and then invited her to a party at Loosie's Nightclub. During the party, Jabbari said she didn't realize how much pain she was in and later covered her finger with ice. One of the people she met on the street, Chloe Zoller, testified that she gave her ice from a drink bucket on her table and did not notice any other injuries on Jabbari.
“If you believe [Jabbari], then her head throbs from a violent blow to the back of her head, and instead of going home, she goes to a loud, crowded dance club with strangers, strobe lights and laughing the whole time,” Chaudhry said. She added that photos and videos from the club showed no bruises on Jabbari's fingers. Galloway countered, based on the testimony of an independent medical expert, that bruises on one finger would not be visible for hours and that Jabbari still had full range of motion.
“[Jabbari] said there would be bruising in the coming days,” Galloway said. “Did you hit a table? You don't get bruises right away. The evidence agrees at once [Majors] done on her head and ear.” She added that the medical expert testified, “It wouldn't bleed from every laceration behind the ear.” It would depend on capillaries and blood vessels. Every person's blood clots differently. We know when blood clots in her hair [Jabbari] woke up.”