NEW YORK CITY — A Manhattan criminal court jury found Marvel star Jonathan Majors guilty of one count of assault and one count of harassment but acquitted him of another count of assault and one aggravated harassment count, all in connection with an alleged attack on his ex-girlfriend Grace Jabbari in the backseat of an SUV this past March.
The verdict came after about 5 hours of deliberations over portions of three days.
Majors stood to hear the verdict but was seated at the defense table in a grey suit between defense attorneys Priya Chaudhry and Seth Zuckerman. His current girlfriend, actress Megan Good, was seated behind him along with members of his family.
Jabbari testified Majors fractured her finger and lacerated her ear after she grabbed his phone when a message from another woman popped up saying, “I wish I was kissing you.” The defense accused Jabbari of making up her allegations out of revenge for Majors breaking off the relationship.
The mixed verdict signals the jury believed Jonathan Majors recklessly assaulted Grace Jabbari but did not intentionally do so.
The mixed verdict also suggests the jury did not believe Majors intentionally committed aggravated harassment inside the SUV but did believe he harassed her outside the vehicle by picking her off the ground and throwing her back inside.
Majors did not appear to react as the verdict was read. He stood, with his lawyers, facing the jury as the forewoman announced the verdict on each of the four counts.
Majors’ attorney Priya Chaudhry released a statement saying, “It is clear that the jury did not believe Grace Jabbari’s story of what happened in the SUV because they found that Mr. Majors did not intentionally cause any injuries to her.”
“We are disappointed, however, that despite not believing Ms. Jabbari, the jury nevertheless found that Mr. Majors was somehow reckless while she was attacking him,” Chaudhry said.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg released this statement after the verdict was read:
“At the Manhattan D.A.’s Office, we are committed to centering survivors in all of our work. The evidence presented throughout this trial illustrated a cycle of psychological and emotional abuse, and escalating patterns of coercion far too common across the many intimate partner violence cases we see each and every day. Today, a jury determined that pattern of abuse and coercion culminated with Mr. Majors assaulting and harassing his girlfriend. We thank the jury for its service and the survivor for bravely telling her story despite having to relive her trauma on the stand.”
Sentencing on the two counts of conviction set for February 6.
Judge Gaffey renewed an order of protection that prevents Majors from any contact with Jabbari.
Majors faces up to a year in prison on the two misdemeanor counts of conviction.
It is highly unlikely a first-time offender would actually be sentenced that severely on a split misdemeanor verdict.
As reported earlier, the verdict may have implications far outside the Manhattan courtroom.
Prior to his arrest in March, Majors’ “Kang the Conquerer” character was being set up as the next major supervillain in the Marvel universe.
His prestige drama, “Magazine Dreams,” was postponed from its scheduled release earlier this month.
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