Marvel star Jonathan Majors hit girlfriend Grace Jabbari in the head to ‘cover up his infidelity and establish control’ after she spotted a text from another woman, court hears
- As Jonathan Majors walked into the Manhattan court room on Monday, he wore a dark suit and carried a Bible and a notebook
- Majors is now facing one count of intentional assault, one count of reckless assault, and one count of aggravated harassment
Jonathan Majors assaulted his ex-girlfriend Grace Jabbari to ‘cover up his infidelity and establish control’ after she spotted a text on his phone from another woman, a court heard today.
Creed actor Majors walked into Manhattan Criminal Court on Monday wearing a dark suit, sunglasses, black boots and a black beret – carrying a Bible and a notebook.
He arrived hand in hand with his girlfriend Meagan Good and another older woman.
Majors, who is known for his strong religious beliefs, declined to answer when a reporter asked if the trial was a ‘test of your faith.’
He kissed Good on the lips, and a woman in the front row of the public gallery, believed to be his mother, on the cheek. Majors then kissed three other women in the gallery on the cheek and a male friend, with whom he shared a laugh.
Jonathan Majors, left, and his girlfriend Meagan Good hold hands as they enter court
Jonathan Majors appears in Manhattan Criminal Court on the first day of his trial for assault
Actor Jonathan Majors arrives at court for a trial on his domestic violence case
Good wore a black dress with a plunging neckline, while Majors’ lawyer Priya Chaudhry wore a sheer white dress.
At the start of his trial, Majors got a boost when the judge dismissed four of the seven counts after an agreement between the prosecution and the defence.
Majors is now facing one count of intentional assault, one count of reckless assault, and one count of aggravated harassment.
Prosecutor Michael Perez said they wanted the multiple assault charges ‘merged into one charge based on the nature of the injuries and the acts alleged’.
The Marvel star, who was being lined up as the next face of the superhero series, allegedly slapped Grace Jabbari on a ride home, grabbed her hand and then threw her back into the vehicle when she got out.
Majors is accused of grabbing Jabbari (pictured right) and twisting her arm on the way home from a night out after she spotted a flirty text from another woman. He denies the allegations
Creed actor Majors walked into the Manhattan court on Monday wearing a dark suit, sunglasses, black boots and a black beret – carrying a Bible and a notebook
Emmy-nominated Majors is said to have gotten into a row with Jabbari as they returned from a New York City bar when she saw a text from another woman which read: ‘Wish I was kissing you right now’.
In his opening statement, prosecutor Michael Perez of the Manhattan District Attorney’s office said that Majors beat up Jabbari to ‘cover up his infidelity’.
He told the jury of three men and three women: ‘Domestic violence is a pattern of behavior that betrays an intimate partner’s trust and has historically taken place behind closed doors. It can take many forms.
‘A derogatory comment, throwing things at a wall, withholding love and affection and physical abuse.
‘Abusers use it as a tool to dominate, manipulate and instill fear in their intimate partners so they can have all the power and exercise all the control.
‘Its forms may be ever so slight but the psychological and physical effects of domestic violence take a devastating and immense toll on the victims.
‘On March 25th 2023, the defendant, Jonathan Majors, committed domestic violence against his then romantic partner Grace Jabbari when he used physical violence to manipulate her, control her and physically hurt her.
‘The defendant over the course of relationship with Grace Jabbari used a cruel and manipulative pattern of psychological and physical abuse that culminated in the tragic end of their relationship’.
Jabbari has herself been charged with assaulting Majors in a separate case. His lawyers insist she was the aggressor
Perez said that the night of the attack Majors and Jabbari had been out to a restaurant together. By then they had been together for two years having met on the set of ‘Ant Man: Quantumania’ in 2021.
They had talked about having children and were considering marriage in the ‘serious’ relationship, Perez said.
But as they drove home back to Manhattan and were crossing the Manhattan bridge, Ms Jabbari leaned on Major’s shoulder as he took a selfie.
Perez said that a message from a person called ‘Cleopatra’ ‘popped up’ on Majors’ mobile phone.
There was a reference to a song by the rapper D’Angelo called ‘Lady’ and a message which read: ‘I wish I was kissing you.’
Perez said: ‘Stunned when she saw the message Grace grabbed the defendant’s phone to see if her partner of two years, the man she loved, spoke to her of grand plans for marriage and kids, had betrayed her.
‘Grace tried to read further but the defendant needed to be in control and would not allow it’.
Perez said that Majors began ‘squeezing Ms Jabbari’s body’ and took hold of her right arm and ‘twisted it behind her back’.
He ‘grabbed and squeezed her hand’, specifically her right middle finger.
Perez said: ‘Suddenly as Grace tried to read the messages, the assault continued’, adding that Majors ‘struck a blow across the right side of her head’.
Jabbari was left ‘paralyzed’ and Majors was able to grab his phone. The car stopped on the other side of the bridge and Majors got out.
Jabbari tried to follow him but he ‘needed to maintain control’ and use ‘physical force once again’. Perez said.
He said: ‘As the defendant exited (the car) and Grace tried to follow, the defendant used both hands to shove her repeatedly back into the (car)’.
Perez called the assault an ‘effort to cover up his infidelity.’
When it became clear she wouldn’t go back in the car, Majors then allegedly ‘grabbed’ Jabbari’s hand and ‘escorted her across the street.’
But then he ‘sprinted’ off, leaving her on her own, where she was found by three strangers.
Perez told the court that Majors spent the night at the five-star Mark Hotel in Manhattan while Jabbari briefly attended a party after the strangers invited her to come – she agreed in order to ‘block out’ the alleged beating.
She went back to their apartment and woke up the next day with blood on her head and pain in her right finger.
Majors returned to the apartment and found Jabbari passed out in a closet and called police.
The court heard that because Majors had ‘trained’ Jabbari she did not immediately tell officers of her assault – eventually the attending cops realized she had been beaten up, and Majors was arrested.
The allegations have derailed the career of Majors, who starred in Creed 3 and had a major role in the Marvel films as the evil Kang the Conqueror.
While he does appear in the second season of Loki, Majors, 34, was dropped by management company Entertainment 360 and publicist The Lede Company after the allegations against him.
The incident with Jabbari, 30, a British dance instructor, happened on March 25th when police responded to a 911 call when she reported being assaulted during a car ride home.
According to the criminal complaint, Majors grabbed Jabari violently by her right middle finger causing ‘bruising, swelling, and substantial pain’.
The complaint states: ‘I (Jabbari) further observed the defendant grab my right arm, place it behind my body, and use his hands to twist my right forearm and right middle finger, causing substantial pain to my right forearm and right middle finger.
‘I further observed the defendant strike me with his hand across my right ear causing substantial pain and a laceration behind my right ear.
‘I further observed the defendant push me back into the vehicle using both of his hands causing me to fall backwards’.
Majors has denied six counts of assault in the third degree, one count of aggravated harassment in the second degree and one count harassment in the second degree
Majors has denied six counts of assault in the third degree, one count of aggravated harassment in the second degree and one count harassment in the second degree
While he does appear in the second season of Loki, Majors, 34, was dropped by management company Entertainment 360 and publicist The Lede Company after the allegations against him
He has agreed to abide by a restraining order that a judge granted Jabarri in April barring him from contacting her.
An expose in Rolling Stone magazine published in June said that Majors had a history of violent behavior going back decades, including abusing two former partners – claims he strongly denied.
Majors’ lawyers have aggressively attacked Jabarri and called her claims a ‘complete lie’.
In response to Major’s arrest they filed a counter complaint against Jabbari, claiming that she was the one who assaulted him in a ‘savage rage’.
The New York Police Department arrested Jabbari in October and charged her with misdemeanor assault and criminal mischief for her role in the altercation with Majors.
But the Manhattan District Attorney refused to prosecute the case because it lacked ‘prosecutorial merit’, as a spokesman put it.
Majors’ lawyer Priya Chaudhry has released text messages that Jabbari sent to him in the hours after the alleged assault which they claimed proved she was the aggressor.
Jabbari wrote: ‘Please let me know you’re okay when you get this. They assured me that you won’t be charged.
Emmy-nominated Majors is said to have gotten into a row with Jabbari as they returned from a New York City bar when she saw a text from another woman which read: ‘Wish I was kissing you right now’
‘They said they had to arrest you as protocol when they saw the injuries on me and they knew we had a fight. I’m so angry that they did. And I’m sorry you’re in this position.
‘Will make sure nothing happens about this. I told them it was my fault for trying to grab your phone’.
Jabbari added: ‘Just call me when you’re out. I love you’.
Three hours later, Jabbari wrote again saying that the police called her again and she ‘reiterated this was not an attack and they do not have my blessing on any charges being placed’.
She went on: ‘I read in the paper they gave me about strangulation and I said point blank this did not occur and should be removed immediately.
‘I also said to tell the judge that the origin of the call was to do with me collapsing and passing out and your worry as my partner due to our communication prior. Out of care’.
Majors, who is known for his strong religious beliefs, declined to answer when a reporter asked if the trial was a ‘test of your faith’
Chaudry has said that video evidence from the vehicle where the incident took place will exonerate her client, along with witness statements from two women.
She has claimed that the prosecution is using its office to ‘weaponize accusations where a black man is accused by a white woman’.
But prosecutors plan to call several of Majors’ former girlfriends as witnesses to testify against him.
They also plan to introduce evidence about an incident in London in September 2022, where Majors was filming Loki, which led to a police report being filed.
Majors’ big break was in 2019 when he appeared in ‘The Last Black Man in San Francisco’ before the HBO series ‘Lovecraft Country’ the following year.
His performances in ‘Creed 3’ and ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’ were critically applauded and loved by fans.
‘Magazine Dreams’, a forthcoming film starring him as a troubled bodybuilder, has been put on hold – the movie was originally due to come out this fall and was considered an Oscar contender.
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