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The jury has reached a verdict in the trial of Jonathan Majors. The "Creed III" actor was found guilty on two of the four counts he faced: one count of assault in the third degree, and one count of harassment in the second degree.
He was found not guilty of assault in the third degree and not guilty of aggravated harassment.
The Marvel actor, 34, appeared in a Manhattan courtroom starting in early December, facing charges of assault and harassment brought by the state of New York, stemming from an alleged incident earlier this year involving him and his former girlfriend, dancer and movement coach Grace Jabbari.
Majors is known for his roles in “Creed III” and HBO’s “Lovecraft Country,” for which he received an Emmy nomination. He is also part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, playing supervillain Kang the Conqueror in 2023’s “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.”
Here’s what to know about the allegations he faced.
Why was Jonathan Majors on trial?
The charges against Majors are tied to an incident on March 25, 2023, when the New York City Police Department responded to a 911 call in Manhattan. After an initial investigation, police determined that a “33-year-old male was involved in a dispute with a 30-year-old female,” according to a statement from the Office of the Deputy Commissioner, Public Information (DCPI).
The woman involved in the incident, who was unnamed in the DCPI statement, told authorities she had been assaulted. According to the police statement, she “sustained minor injuries to her head and neck and was removed to an area hospital in stable condition.”
Majors was taken into custody following what police are calling a “domestic dispute,” and he was charged with strangulation, assault and harassment, according to the DCPI. The strangulation charge was later dropped.
In a statement given to NBC News shortly after his arrest, a representative for the actor said, “He has done nothing wrong. We look forward to clearing his name and clearing this up.”
Priya Chaudhry, an attorney for Majors, also issued a statement to TODAY.com from Majors' legal team following the incident.
“Jonathan Majors is completely innocent and is provably the victim of an altercation with a woman he knows. We are quickly gathering and presenting evidence to the District Attorney with the expectation that all charges will be dropped imminently,” the statement read, in part.
“All the evidence proves that Mr. Majors is entirely innocent and did not assault her whatsoever,” a later part of his attorney’s statement read. “Unfortunately, this incident came about because this woman was having an emotional crisis, for which she was taken to a hospital yesterday. The NYPD is required to make an arrest in these situations, and this is the only reason Mr. Majors was arrested. We expect these charges to be dropped soon.”
Shortly after Majors’ arrest, the U.S. Army pulled advertisements that featured narration by the actor.
The Army’s Enterprise Marketing Office said in a statement obtained by NBC News that the Army was “deeply concerned by the allegations” and added that while Majors “is innocent until proven guilty, prudence dictates that we pull our ads until the investigation into these allegations is complete.”
What charges has Majors been charged with?
The day after Majors’ arrest, the actor was charged with multiple misdemeanor counts including assault in the third degree, aggravated harassment in the second degree, attempted assault in the third degree and harassment in the second degree, according to the complaint shared by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office.
According to the document, the woman involved in the March 25 incident alleged that Majors “(struck) her about the face with an open hand, causing substantial pain and a laceration behind her ear.”
She also alleged that Majors “(grabbed) her hand, causing swelling, bruising, and substantial pain to her finger” and “put his hand on her neck, causing bruising and substantial pain.”
In an April 18 letter to the New York County Criminal Court, Chaudhry denied the allegations against her client.
“Ms. Jabbari claims that Mr. Majors assaulted her in a car in Chinatown around 12:00 a.m. on March 25, 2023, and during that incident, Mr. Majors broke her finger and lacerated her ear,” part of the letter read. “We have proof that this is a complete lie.”
Chaudhry alleged that Jabbari had been "attacking, slapping, cutting and scratching Mr. Majors" during the incident.
After being charged on March 26, Majors was released on his own recognizance, meaning he was released without having to post bail, and an initial court date was set for May 8, according to the complaint received by NBC News.
Why was Majors' accuser also arrested?
In June 2023, Majors filed a cross-complaint against Jabbari. Majors claimed that Jabbari assaulted him in the March 25 incident, not the other way around.
In a June 20 statement provided to NBC News, Chaudhry alleged that Jabbari had committed a “frenzied attack on Mr. Majors” and said his team had “provided photographs illustrating the injuries she inflicted on Mr. Majors and photos of his clothing torn as a direct consequence of Ms. Jabbari’s violent actions” to the district attorney.
Following Majors’ allegations that it was Jabbari who had in fact assaulted him, Jabbari was arrested on Oct. 25 in New York City and charged with misdemeanor assault and criminal mischief, NBC News reported a police spokesperson as saying. Jabbari's attorney did not respond to a request from NBC News for comment at that time.
The next day, all charges against Jabbari were dropped.
“The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office has officially declined to prosecute the case against Grace Jabbari because it lacks prosecutorial merit. The matter is now closed and sealed,” said Doug Cohen, a press secretary for the Manhattan prosecutor’s office, according to NBC News.
Jabbari's attorney said in a statement to The Associated Press that the NYPD's decision to charge her was “unfortunate and re-traumatizing” and that she "was the victim, and not the perpetrator. "
What emerged about the alleged assault during the trial?
During courtroom testimony Dec. 5, Jabbari testified that she had endured two years of verbal abuse with Majors before the alleged assault took place, NBC News reported. “It was confusing,” she said, “because I felt scared of him, but quite dependent on him.”
She said the night of the alleged assault, Majors told her he was going to “kill himself” after learning she had confided in a friend about his allegedly abusive behavior.
Then, they went in the car, where the incident in question took place. Jabbari, on the stand, testified what she experienced in the back of the car. She said she saw a text message on Majors’ phone that said, “Wish I was kissing you right now.” She said she took the phone from his hands and he “forcefully” took it back, causing injury, then twisted her arm in a position that caused “excruciating” pain. After she said she “felt a really hard blow across my head.”
Photos that had been shared by prosecutors with the jury, but were not initially made public, were released in court Dec. 13. They show dark bruising on Jabbari’s right middle finger, as well as a cut behind her ear and what appears to be bruising on her neck.
Prosecutors said these injuries were the result of Majors’ alleged assault against her on March 25.
Majors’ team alleged that Jabbari was the aggressor in the car. Their evidence includes a torn button on Majors’ coat and the fact that she went dancing with strangers after the fight.
“The worst thing in my head would’ve been to go back to the empty apartment we shared in that moment,” Jabbari said. Of her smiles in photos from the night, she said, “I was having the nicest time I could’ve had within the situation.
How long did the trial last?
After multiple delays, Majors’ trial began on Wednesday, Nov. 29.
Majors held hands with his girlfriend, “Harlem” actor Meagan Good, as he arrived for the first day of the trial at a New York City courthouse.
A jury of three men and three women was selected on Nov. 30, and opening statements began on Monday, Dec. 4. Jury deliberations began Dec. 14 and concluded Dec. 18.
What was the jury's verdict, and what does it mean?
The jury found Majors guilty on one count of assault in the third degree and one count of harassment in the second degree.
He was found not guilty in two other charges: one count of assault in the third degree and one count of aggravated harassment.
Will Majors face prison time?
Sentencing is set for Feb. 6. Majors faces up to a year in jail.