Several disturbing text messages and an audio recording from Jonathan Majors‘ ongoing trial for alleged assault have been made public by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office.
The newly released evidence, which was shown in court last week, is between Majors and his ex-girlfriend Grace Jabbari, who accused him of assaulting her in the backseat of a car in March. The evidence includes text messages in which Majors threatened to kill himself and an audio recording of an argument in which Majors told Jabbari she needed to act more like Coretta Scott King and Michelle Obama.
The text messages are from September 2022 and discuss a prior incident between Majors and Jabbari when they were a couple. Majors appears to dissuade Jabbari from going to the hospital after she suffered an injury to her head.
“I fear you have no perspective of what could happen if you go to the hospital,” Majors wrote. “They will ask you questions and as I don’t think you actually protect us it could lead to an investigation even if you do lie and they suspect something.”
Jabbari responded, “I will tell the doctor I bumped my head, if I go, I’m going to give it one more day, but I can’t sleep and need some stronger painkillers. That’s all. Why would I want to tell them what really happened when it’s clear I want to be with you.”
Part of Jabbari’s next message was redacted, but she wrote, “I will not go to the doctor if you don’t feel safe with me doing so. I promise I would never mention you but I understand your fear.” During her testimony last week, Jabbari said that Majors had previously warned her about trusting the police because of “what they would do to him as a Black man.”
Majors wrote, “Last night I considered killing myself versus coming home” and “I will probably [k]ill myself. It’s not really contemplating any more…I’m a monster. A horrible man. Not capable of love. I am killing myself soon. I’ve already put things in motion.”
In addition to the text messages, an audio clip of a Sept. 2022 argument between Majors and Jabbari was released from court. During the clip, Majors tells Jabbari that she “has to be of a certain mindset to support” him, like Coretta Scott King was to Martin Luther King Jr. and Michelle Obama to Barack Obama.
“I’m a great man. A great man,” Majors says in the clip. “I am doing great things, not just for me, but for my, for my culture and the world. That is actually the position I’m in. That’s real. I’m not being a dick about it. I didn’t ask for it. I’ve worked, and that’s the situation. The woman that supports me — that I support, the work that — needs to be a great woman and make sacrifices the way that man is making for her and for them, ultimately.
Listen to the audio and read the transcript below:
Majors: …be doing right now? Period. This is actually, period. Do you understand that?
Jabbari: Yeah.
Majors: Do you really love me? Do you really?
Jabbari: Yes.
Majors: Then how dare you come home drunk and disturb the peace of our house when we have a plan.
Jabbari: I’m sorry
Majors: I would like to get to the point where your friends know what job I’m on and go “I think Grace is gonna be out of commission.” Get me?
Jabbari: Yeah, I won’t.
Majors: No, no, do you understand that? Because that team, that unit, right? Grace has to be of a certain mindset to support — Coretta Scott King, do you know who that is? That’s Martin Luther King’s wife. Michelle Obama, Barack Obama’s wife.
Jabbari: I know, I shouldn’t have gone out. I’m sorry
Majors: Let me just lay it out for you, right? If I am, I’m just gonna say this. My temper, my shit, all that. All that said, right? And let’s say, I’m a great man. A great man. I am doing great things, not just for me, but for my, for my culture and the world. That is actually the position I’m in. That’s real. I’m not being a dick about it. I didn’t ask for it. I’ve worked, and that’s the situation. The woman that supports me — that I support, the work that — needs to be a great woman and make sacrifices the way that man is making for her and for them ultimately. Last night, two nights ago, you did not do that.
Jabbari: I’m sorry
Majors: You did not do that, which was took away from the plan. And the plan is everything. If it was just you, maybe I could swallow it. Or I was just gonna like, “Hey, let’s go just bed. I’m just gonna bed, I’m not hungry, blah blah blah. Because Grace isn’t here. Why? She was drunk. Why else? She was clogged by whatever was going on.” Fine. I can take that. Fine
The District Attorney’s Office also released photographs of Jabbari’s injuries that were submitted as evidence earlier in the trial.
On Monday, the jury was shown an X-ray of Jabbari’s right middle finger, which was bruised and had a hairline fracture after Majors’ alleged assault. The Bellevue hospital doctor who treated Jabbari the morning after the incident testified that she was given a splint for the finger and treated for a two centimeter-long cut behind her right ear.
Warning: The following photos contain some graphic imagery.
On Wednesday morning, Judge Michael Gaffey rejected a motion by Majors’ lawyers to dismiss the charges. Priya Chaudhry and Seth Zuckerman, Majors’ attorneys, argued the prosecution did not have sufficient evidence to prove the legal, requisite intent for Majors’ assault and harassment charges. Judge Michael Gaffey denied their request, which followed another rejected motion to dismiss the case in the fall before the trial had started.
Zuckerman cited the testimonies from Jabbari and Naveed Sarwar, the driver of the car in which the alleged incident occurred, for the rejected dismissal request. The lawyer argued the testimonies did not show Majors had the legal, requisite intent to harass, annoy, threaten or alarm Jabbari. In Jabbari’s testimony last week, she said that Majors was “trying to keep her out of his way” and “trying to make me stay in the car” during the alleged assault. On Monday, Sarwar testified that Majors opened the car door trying to get rid of Jabbari. Majors said “Leave me alone. I want to go. I have to go” and was “not doing anything, [Jabbari] was doing everything.” Zuckerman cited these parts of Jabbari’s and Sarwar’s testimonies in the motion to dismiss.
Prosecutors Michael Perez and Kelli Gallaway objected to the defense’s motion, saying there is enough evidence, via testimonies, videos and photos, to prove Majors’ alleged assault. Perez argued that traffic cam and security video footage shows Majors “repeatedly pushing [Jabbari] back into the vehicle with all of his force” and that “there is intention on his face.”
“The force [Majors] was using speaks for his actions,” Perez said. Judge Gaffey ruled there is sufficient and competent evidence and that it’s clear Majors and Jabbari were “involved in altercation where [Jabbari] has indicated she suffered substantial pain.”
The prosecution rested its case on Wednesday morning, and the defense began calling its witnesses. The first to take the stand was NYPD Detective Ronnie Meija, who had reviewed Majors’ case, and Dr. Tammy Weiner, an emergency medical attending physician speaking as a medical expert.
The defense also argued that Jabbari fabricated the allegations to get back at Majors after their breakup. They met in August 2021 on the London set of Marvel’s “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” and dated for two years before Majors ended the relationship on the night of the alleged assault. Majors is on trial for four misdemeanor counts of assault and harassment, to which he’s pleaded not guilty. If convicted, he could face up to a year in prison.
