Marvel star Jonathan Majors weeps during closing arguments in trial
Marvel star Jonathan Majors weeps during closing arguments in trial
Marvel star Jonathan Majors grew emotional and shed tears during the closing arguments in his New York assault trial.
The actor’s lawyers and prosecutors presented their closing arguments to a jury on Thursday, just 10 days after court proceedings commenced earlier this month in Manhattan.
Priya Chaudhry, the actor’s attorney, choked up as she delivered her last words to the jury as she pleaded with them to “end this nightmare” for her client.
“I want to end this nightmare for Jonathan now, immediately, and as quickly as possible,” the attorney said. “It’s just fake. Nothing she says makes sense. Nothing she says is medically possible,” she added, referring to his accuser and ex-girlfriend Grace Jabbari.
Ms Chaudry addressed directly Mr Majors’s 911 call on 25 March, when the alleged assault took place.
“His fear of what happens when a Black man in America calls 911 came true. And now we’re here,” she said.
It was this comment that prompted Mr Majors to cry and when the attorney finished her closing arguments, she sat back down at the defence desk and the two embraced in a hug. The attorney could be seen dabbing her eyes with a tissue.
Actress Meagan Good, Mr Majors’s girlfriend who has attended court with him every day, was also seen wiping away tears.
The actor has been charged with four misdemeanour counts, including assault in the third degree with intent to cause physical injury, assault in the third degree recklessly causing physical injury, aggravated harassment in the second degree, and harassment in the second degree. All of the charges stem from the alleged altercation the couple had in March.
The actor has denied the allegations. Ms Chaudhry, his attorney, has long claimed that Ms Jabbari was the real assailant that night.
When Assistant District Attorney Kelli Galaway spoke to the jury, she said the case was ultimately about “control, domination, manipulation and abuse,” adding that “the defendant did not hesitate to use physical violence.”
The prosecution presented evidence that showed a pattern of disturbing behaviour from Mr Majors, including text messages and an audio recording. However, when it came to the night at the centre of the trial, the prosecution struggled to pin Ms Jabbari’s injuries on Mr Majors.
The driver who drove the couple that night said that he thought the dancer had hit Mr Majors after she discovered text messages on her phone from someone named Cleopatra, leading her to believe the actor was cheating on her.
“Oh how I wish I was kissing you,” the message read. Ms Jabbari confronted the actor on the text and grabbed his phone to get a closer look.
While trying to get the phone back, she said Mr Majors hit her on the back of her head and twisted her arm behind her back, resulting in a fracture to her right middle finger. He also shoved her inside the stopped SUV, she said.
Naveed Sarwar, the driver, said Mr Majors was “not doing anything” and Ms Jabbari “was doing everything”.
Speaking on Thursday, Ms Galaway accused the driver, who testified for the prosecution, of being loyal to Mr Majors.
His comments, she said, revealed “him to be a biassed witness to the man who paid him.”
She continued: “This case is the people of the state of New York v Jonathan Majors. It is not Grace Jabbari versus Jonathan Majors.
“This is not a revenge plot to ruin the defendant’s life, his career, to take everything away from him.”
