Amber Heard's sister and friends back her version against Johnny Depp's

Raquel Pennington, a close friend of Amber Heard at the time of her relationship with Johnny Depp, testifies through a previously recorded video about the photo of the actress that is shown on the screen. KEVIN LAMARQUE (AP)

The trial between actor Johnny Depp and his ex-wife, Amber Heard, faces its final stretch.

If there are no delays, experts hope that the hearing can end at the end of next week with the parties' conclusions.

After the statements of Depp and Heard, with diametrically opposed versions, the witnesses have begun to parade.

The actress's sister, her friends and other close people support, at least partially, her version that Depp assaulted Heard.

None have claimed to have seen an attack, but there were several who noticed scratches, bruises and other signs of possible attacks.

Others heard him yelling or swearing and behaving in an uncontrolled and violent manner.

All those who have appeared in the session this Wednesday were proposed by the actress, so her version was not a surprise either.

While Heard maintains that Depp assaulted her and even raped her with a bottle, the actor assures that he has never assaulted a woman and that he was the victim of ill-treatment.

The trial, in which a civil, non-criminal lawsuit filed by Depp against Heard and her counterclaim is settled, is taking place in Fairfax (Virginia), because it is where the newspapers of

are located, the newspaper where published an article signed by the actress who originated the case.

One of those who has declared this Wednesday has been Amber Heard's sister, Whitney Henriquez (she has adopted her husband's last name).

Both have a remarkable physical resemblance.

Henriquez, who tried her luck as an actress without much success in the film

described her sister's deterioration.

She said that she went from being a cheerful, bright and happy person to being physically fatal: “She weighed about 45 kilos.

She was emaciated, she wasn't sleeping…she had a different look.”

And of Depp he claimed that he was loving, kind and generous when he was sober, but that too many times he was drunk and violent, throwing objects.

Under cross-examination, #AmberHeard's sister admitted to joking with #JohnnyDepp about hitting her sister in 2013. @LawCrimeNetwork pic.twitter.com/ONGcfRZO2U

— Law&Crime Network (@LawCrimeNetwork) May 18, 2022

Henriquez has said that he suspected Depp of hitting his sister.

Depp's lawyer embarrassed her by asking if she had encouraged Depp himself to hit Amber Heard.

She admitted that what she did was joke about it.

"I didn't fully understand what was going on then.

I would never have said that with what I know now,” she replied.

He has also given examples of swearing, swearing and vulgar expressions that Depp used, especially when he was drunk or high.

Amber's sister has answered the questions from the stand.

Of the majority of witnesses, what was seen were pre-recorded videos in recent years during the preparation of the case.

Perhaps the most emotional was that of her friend and neighbor at the time of the couple, Raquel Penington, describing between sobs the signs of physical violence in photographs of the actress: black eyes, swollen nose, a bloody lip... Penington declared that she did not He never saw Depp hit Amber, but he did see cuts, wounds and marks on her body.

#AmberHeard's friend got emotional during a video deposition while explaining Heard's facial injuries.

"It's a photo of Amber's face of her with two black eyes, and swollen bottom lip, swollen nose," Raquel Pennington said.

@LawCrimeNetwork pic.twitter.com/rwHhxcenLH

— Law&Crime Network (@LawCrimeNetwork) May 18, 2022

The witness was asked if perhaps Heard had faked the injuries with makeup: “No, quite the opposite.

She often had to cover the bruises and wounds on her face with makeup,” she replied.

Penington also denied having agreed with Heard to make a scene in her house that appeared to be ill-treated and thus ask for a restraining order.

“I was scared for Amber and I was sad for Johnny because he was my friend too.

I was worried about his physical safety and that he might accidentally do something worse than he intended, "said Penington, who assured that Depp's dark side was called "the monster", a name that he himself had given to that facet of his personality. , according to the witness.

A former girlfriend of Heard's also reported being afraid of Depp and witnessing the actress's face reddened and swollen.

Her make-up artist said that if one day that she Heard claims to have been beaten, she went to a television program without being noticed in the slightest, it was because she made up her face covering the signs.

And her personal trainer, who came to most sessions in tears.

None of them declared on the stand, but through videos recorded between 2019 and 2022.

The anecdote of the session was starred this Wednesday by one of the attendees in the public benches.

During a break, he had an attack of uncontrollable laughter, it has infected a good part of the room and finally he has had to leave.

The trial continues this Thursday.

subscribe here

to the newsletter of EL PAÍS América and receive all the key information on current affairs in the region.