You may recall that rising film star Jonathan Majors was arrested for an alleged domestic assault of his then-girlfriend last March. But was Majors convicted of domestic assault?
The answer is yes. According to the Los Angeles Times, the actor was convicted of 1 count of assault in the third degree (a lesser offense than first- or second-degree assault) and 1 count of harassment in the second degree in a New York City court on Monday, December 18, 2023.
However, Majors was acquitted—or not convicted—of other related charges. Those were for aggravated harassment in the second degree and 3 counts of attempted assault in the third degree. (The latter would have constituted an intentional assault.)
Majors’s sentencing hearing will be held on February 6, 2024. He could face up to 1 year in prison for the convictions.
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Majors challenged the charges
Majors quickly challenged his arrest and charges after the March 25, 2023 incident, which reportedly occurred when he was riding in a chauffeured car with his former girlfriend, Grace Jabbari. She later recanted her claims of assault, but during the 2-week trial, she took the stand to testify against Majors.
According to ABC News, Majors made a 911 call himself after the incident. When police responded, they said Majors had allegedly struck the woman on her face with an open hand and caused a laceration behind her ear. Police claimed that Majors also had allegedly grabbed her neck and her hand, which caused bruising and substantial pain.
Police described the woman’s condition as “minor injuries to her head and neck.” She was taken to a hospital in the area in stable condition.
Majors’s criminal defense attorney said the woman had been taken to the hospital because she was having “an emotional crisis”—a crisis that had led to the dispute.
Majors was arrested, but after a few hours, he was released on his own recognizance.
Majors starred for Marvel and in Creed III
Majors’s career began skyrocketing by virtue of his starring roles in the acclaimed 2019 film The Last Black Man in San Francisco, HBO’s Emmy award-winning Lovecraft Country of 2020 and Spike Lee’s 2020 film Da 5 Bloods.
Earlier this year, he starred as supervillain Kang the Conqueror in Marvel’s Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and as the rival boxer to the title star of Creed III, a series spun off from the long-running Rocky movies.
But his film projects evaporated after his arrest. In fact, on the day of his conviction, Marvel cut ties with the actor even though it had projected a lengthy run in the company’s superhero movies, known as the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Before his conviction, Majors was set to be the title star of Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, to be released for the Marvel Cinematic Universe in 2025. Now, that won’t happen.
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How much prison time in Texas for domestic assault?
If you live in the Houston area, you may be wondering how much prison time someone could face upon conviction of similar charges in Texas.
A Texas charge of assault involving injury becomes an assault in the third degree, or a third-degree felony, if the defendant had a prior domestic assault conviction or if the offense involved suffocation or strangulation.
Such a domestic assault could be against a family member, a household member or a dating partner. A conviction could bring punishments of 2 to 10 years in prison, a fine of up to $10,000, or both.
Such a charge was not the case for Majors in New York, which was 1 count of assault in the third degree. The Texas equivalent for his charge would be more along the lines of assault causing bodily injury, which is a Class A misdemeanor.
Upon conviction, such a charge in Texas could bring a sentence of up to 1 year in prison, a $4,000 fine, or both.
Similarly, there is no charge in Texas that would be precisely the same as the charge of harassment in the second degree, for which Majors was convicted in New York. However, various forms of harassment can bring serious charges and penalties in Texas.
The Texas Penal Code defines harassment as being an act made with an “intent to harass, annoy, alarm, abuse, torment, or embarrass” another person.
This can include threatening bodily injury or sending electronic communications, such as texts or emails, in a threatening, abusive or annoying manner. Such threats must be made in a way that is likely to cause alarm.
Upon conviction, a charge of harassment in Texas could bring a sentence of up to 180 days (or 6 months) in prison, a $2,000 fine, or both.
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Get the best Houston-area criminal defense attorney
If you or a family member faces a charge such as assault or harassment in Houston, Sugar Land, The Woodlands or elsewhere in Southeast Texas, you must get the best Houston-area defense attorney or lawyer you can find.
