Johnny Depp reacts to photo Amber Heard took of him asleep with spilt ice cream
Lawyers representing Amber Heard cross-examined Johnny Depp for a full day on Thursday following his two days of testimony in the $50m (£38.2m) defamation lawsuit he brought against his ex-wife.
The trial has now adjourned, and resumes on Monday for a third week at the Fairfax County Courthouse in Virginia.
Heard is being sued by Depp for implying he abused her in a 2018 op-ed she wrote. Although she did not name him, his lawyers claim her allegations have made it difficult for the actor to land movie roles, turning him from “Cinderella to Quasimodo” in Hollywood, as the Pirates of the Caribbean actor described it.
The actor has testified about a traumatic childhood with an abusive mother saying his relationship with Heard mirrored that, describing her as “bullying” him.
On Thursday, Heard’s lawyers challenged him over vulgar text messages he sent about her and his drug use and drinking.
His account of the severing of his finger in Australia was also disputed, and pictures of messages scrawled across mirrors in blood and paint were shown to the court, as well as several secretly recorded arguments and fights.
Depp admits to ‘disgraceful and odious behaviour’ in notes to Heard
The jury learned that Depp and Heard used to write messages to each other in a journal on Thursday as her legal team presented examples in court.
In a message dated Sunday 27 September 2015, Mr Depp wrote, “I can’t express how sorry I am for having stooped so low … to have spewed such vicious untruths for the sole purpose of hurting you – I am far from being proud of myself for such a grievous error!!! Shameful…”
“I will never allow myself to resort to such disgraceful and odious behavior… No matter what!!!” he added.
The Independent’s Gustaf Kilander reports:
Megan Sheets22 April 2022 17:10
Heard cringes at audio of Depp telling her ‘I f**king hate you’
Heard cringed in court as a jury heard audio of Depp gagging and berating her during cross-examination on Thursday.
On the graphic recording, Depp could be heard saying to Heard: “You’re a c*** and I f***ing hate you and I want out.”
The court was also played a string of recordings of other fights between the couple.
In one Depp said: “I become irrational when you’re doing movies, I become jealous and f****** crazy and weird and we fight a lot more.”
The Independent’s Grame Massie reports:
Megan Sheets22 April 2022 16:40
Court hears audio of Depp moaning like a ‘pained animal’
During questioning about the 2014 flight from Boston to Los Angeles, Depp acknowledged that he had a bad reaction to mixing alcohol with opioids.
The court then heard three audio excerpts in which he seeminly moaned in pain.
“It sounds like a pained animal and it’s my voice,” Depp said in response to the audio.
In the last excerpt, his former security guard Jerry Judge can be heard saying, “I’m going to stay with this f***ing idiot in case he gets sick”.
Megan Sheets22 April 2022 16:10
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Megan Sheets22 April 2022 15:50
Depp says he feared Heard was having an affair with James Franco
Much of Thursday’s cross-examination centred around a May 2014 flight from Boston to Los Angeles, during which Heard and Depp had a fight.
Heard’s lawyers sought to portray jealousy as the catalyst of the fight, bringing up his frustration that Heard was at the time filming a movie with James Franco.
Depp confirmed he did fear that Heard and Franco were having an affair and said it was “highly likely” that they had a heated discussion about his suspicions.
The Independent’s Gustaf Kilander reports:
Megan Sheets22 April 2022 15:40
Heard begs Depp not to cut himself in disturbing audio
Shocking audio played in court at the end of Thursday’s proceedings featured Heard begging Depp not to cut himself two months after she filed for divorce.
Heard grew emotional as the jury heard the clip in which Depp implored her to cut him with a knife, while he also wiped his eyes and grabbed a tissue.
The knife in question had “Until death” inscribed in Spanish, as well as “Slim”, Depp’s nickname for his ex-wife.
“Want to cut me somewhere?” Depp could be heard saying in a low voice on the recording.
Heard replied: “Just don’t cut your skin, please don’t. Why would I do that? Please don’t cut yourself.”
The Independent’s Graeme Massie reports:
Megan Sheets22 April 2022 15:10
Depp asked about vulgar texts about Heard
Thursday’s cross examination of Depp began with him being asked about texted messages in which he said he wanted to “burn” and “drown” Heard.
Depp had sent the texts in question to his friend Paul Bettany in June 2013.
“Let’s drown her before we burn her!!! I will f*** her burnt corpse afterwards to make sure she is dead…” the actor wrote in one message.
The Independent’s Gustaf Kilander reports:
Megan Sheets22 April 2022 14:40
Court not in session today
After three days of captivating testimony by Johnny Depp, the Fairfax County courthouse will be quiet on Friday as the trial is in recess until Monday.
Judge Penney S Azacarate announced early in the trial that each week would only last four days, with a break on Fridays to give everyone involved a three-day weekend.
Megan Sheets22 April 2022 14:19
Depp reacts to photo Amber Heard took of him asleep with spilt ice cream
The jury in the trial between Johnny Depp and ex-wife Amber Heard was shown a photo of Mr Depp asleep on a couch with ice cream spilt across his lap.
Mr Depp said he had worked a 17-hour day, taken some opioids, and that Ms Heard gave him the ice cream “because she knew what was going to happen”.
Gustaf Kilander reports on the testimony.
Oliver O’Connell22 April 2022 13:45
Depp trial shown messages he scrawled in blood and paint after severing finger
The court in the trial between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard has been shown messages and “reminders” Mr Depp scrawled in blood and paint after severing his finger in a fight during which he claims Ms Heard threw two vodka bottles at him.
Oliver O’Connell22 April 2022 13:15
