Photo:Janet Mayer / SplashNews
Janet Mayer / SplashNews
TheCreed IIItalent, 34, was foundguilty of two charges: misdemeanor assault in the third degree,recklessly causing physical injury, andharassment in the second degree, which is a violation. He was found not guilty of misdemeanor assault in the third degree with intent to cause physical injury and misdemeanor aggravated harassment in the second degree.
Majors faces up to a year in jail when he is sentenced on Feb. 6. What happens next? PEOPLE spoke with Brett Ward, a partner at Blank Rome, and Kate Mangels, a litigation partner at Kinsella Holley, both of whom are not connected to the case.
Jonathan Majors.Karwai Tang/WireImage
But the judge could choose to make an example of Majors due to the spotlight shone on the trial and potentially “wanting to show that this type of behavior will not be tolerated, [that] you don’t assault your intimate partner,” Ward adds.
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Majors will also likely appeal, he adds. And if any jail time is handed down “he may serve it,” says Ward. “Or he could try to stay that, pending an appeal. And if it’s not jail, then he’ll take care of whatever he has to take care of in terms of any kind of programs or probation the court requires.”
When asked why jurors found theLovecraft Countryactor not guilty of misdemeanor assault in the third degree and misdemeanor aggravated harassment in the second degree, both of which are more serious charges, Ward said the court could have felt that Majors’ actions were likely not premeditated.
“It says to me that the jury felt this was not so one-sided, and it was more a crime of emotion than planning, that this is kind of a heat-of-the-moment type of situation,” he says, calling the jury’s findings “more of a compromised verdict.”
Mangels added, “It really seems like that the prosecution wasn’t able to show the jury enough evidence of Major’s mental state to show intent. They were apparently able to show enough evidence that an assault occurred and that there was an injury. But the missing piece was his mental state.”
Ward notes that two pieces of evidence appeared to work in Majors’ favor.
Jonathan Majors, 2023 Academy Awards.Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic
His firmer girlfriend testified she “grabbed the phone out of his hand first when she saw the text from what was reported to be another woman. And two, the last bit of video footage, he ran away and she chased him,” the law partner tells PEOPLE.
Overall, Ward calls Majors' push for a jury trial a mistake, particularly if a plea deal had been on the table.
“To fight this and to let it become the public spectacle that it’s become and now have a guilty verdict is a mistake,” he says.
Jonathan Majors as Kang The Conqueror.Jay Maidment/Marvel Studios
He was also expected to be featured in other upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe titles, including a fifthAvengersmovie.
source: people.com
