Jonathan Majors’ ex-girlfriend broke down on the stand in a packed Manhattan courtroom on Thursday, abruptly rising from the witness stand in tears amid grueling questions about her conversation with police hours after she was allegedly attacked by the actor in the back of a chauffeured car.
Grace Jabbari, who has been on the stand for three days in connection with the March 25 incident, stood up and asked for a break before fleeing into the witness room outside the courtroom. As the door closed, Jabbari could be heard audibly sobbing as Majors stared from the defense table across the room.
She returned several minutes later, apologizing for the outburst and pleading not to watch the police body-camera footage that initially caused her to cry.
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“Do I have to?” Jabbari asked as defense attorney Priya Chaudhry directed her to watch the footage of the moment authorities woke her up inside her Chelsea apartment.
Jabbari continued to cry as she watched the video again to answer questions about how she was initially cagey with the police about the alleged altercation. Over the sounds of the video, which shows officers speaking to Jabbari in a closet was being played, Jabbari wept again, holding her arm to her head.
The video is among several that Chaudhry played for Jabbari in a tough cross-examination that also included questions about her exact movements after the attack—queries that were so detailed they included whether she used a lime to take a tequila shot.
“I would have to have my memory refreshed,” Jabbari, sporting a polka-dot jacket and ponytail, said to that question.
Chaudhry also questioned the 30-year-old choreographer—who dated Majors for two years—about how many glasses of champagne she had, if anyone held her hand, and whether she danced near the DJ booth.
“Yeah, not very well,” Jabbari responded with a laugh.
Jabbari previously testified that the altercation began after she took Majors’ phone to get a better look at an alarming text. In response, she alleged, Majors threw himself on top of her, grabbed her arm, and placed it behind her back.
She said that Majors twisted her arm and finger before he left the car and shoved her back inside. After another argument, Jabbari said, she went to a bar with some strangers who had helped her, while Majors went to a different bar.
On Thursday, Chaudhry also questioned Jabbari about whether she got out of the car before Majors, whether Majors ever chased her, and if she was happy with the strangers she met on a Manhattan street.
After Chaudhry played a video of Jabbari running after Majors when he got out of the car, Jabbari began to weep on the stand and asked for a break. Majors did not move as Jabbari left with a tissue on her face.
At another point, the defense lawyer asked Jabbari if she had scratches on her face the night of the alleged attack. Jabbari responded that she did not think so, which prompted Chaudhry to inquire how she would not know about the scratches if she had washed her face, as she testified on Wednesday.
That led to a back-and-forth about cleansing regimens. Jabbari confirmed she washed her face with makeup remover, then clarified it was facial wash and water when Chaundry probed further.
“You just said makeup remover, and now face wash,” Chaudhry pressed, prompting Jabbari to explain that face wash removes makeup.
Prosecutors say that Majors returned to their apartment in the morning, where he found Jabbari and called 911. Jabbari previously testified that she was “totally overwhelmed” when she woke up and found several officers inside her apartment.
Majors has pleaded not guilty to four misdemeanors in connection with the March 25 domestic dispute. In opening statements, Chaudhry argued that Majors was the victim that night since he was the only person to leave the car with a “bloody gash, scratch, and scared.”
