WARNING: This story contains details of partner violence.
Amber Heard told jurors Thursday that a campaign of harassment by her ex-husband Johnny Depp has left her humiliated and scared for her life due to multiple death threats, and said she only wants “Johnny leave me alone. “
Heard was the last witness in the six-week defamation lawsuit Depp filed against his ex-wife. With cameras in the courtroom, millions of people have followed the trial and interest seemed to rise as the weeks went by and both Depp and Heard testified about the ugly details of their relationship.
Online and in court, Depp fans have overwhelmingly mastered the narrative, with people queuing up at night to get one of the few seats in the courtroom and greet Depp as he enters and leaves. Heard has been booed by street spectators as she walks in and out of court.
“The harassment and humiliation, the campaign against me that echoes every day on social media, and now in front of the cameras in the showroom, I have to relive the trauma every day,” Heard said as he struggled. against tears. “Maybe it’s easy to forget that I’m a human being.”
Listened to cross-examined
In an interrogation, Depp’s lawyer, Camille Vasquez, told Heard that “your lies have been exposed to the world” and asked her about people who contradicted parts of her stories.
“I know how many people will come out of the woods to support Johnny,” Heard replied.
Depp is suing Heard for defamation at Fairfax County Circuit Court for an opinion piece he wrote in December 2018 in The Washington Post describing him as “a public figure representing domestic abuse.” Depp’s lawyers say the actor was defamed for the article even though he never mentioned his name.
Heard said he hopes the lawsuit will allow him to regain his voice and said he had “the right as an American” to publish an article describing his experiences and how they relate to the national debate over domestic violence.
“Johnny has taken enough of my voice,” he said. “I have a right to tell my story.”
Depp has denied ever hitting Heard and says she was the aggressor in the relationship. Heard has testified about more than a dozen separate cases of physical abuse he claims to have suffered at the hands of Depp.
The hand surgeon declares
The final witness on Depp’s side on Thursday morning was hand surgeon Richard Gilbert, who said he believes the injury to Depp’s middle finger could have occurred as described by Depp.
The tip of her finger was cut during a fight the couple had in Australia.
Depp says it happened when Heard threw him a big bottle of vodka. Heard says Depp did it to himself with a drug-fueled rage one night when he also sexually assaulted her with a bottle of liquor.
Jurors will hear the closing arguments on Friday.
Support is available to anyone who has been abused or assaulted. You can access local crisis lines and support services through Ending Violence Association of Canada database. The Canadian Women’s Foundation Help signal is a silent one-handed gesture used in a video call to indicate that you are at risk of violence at home. If you are in immediate danger or fear for your safety or the safety of others around you, call 911.