Entertainment Tonight reported Wednesday that a source close to actress Amber Heard has text-message evidence from two years ago suggesting that husband Johnny Depp was violent with Ms. Heard before the two were married.
“The text exchange, which the source says is from May 2014, begins with a message from ’Stephen’ who is apologizing on behalf of a man, purportedly to be Depp,” Entertainment Tonight explained, going on to quote extensively from the text conversation. At one point, the individual named Stephen refers to a physical altercation: “When I told him he kicked you, he cried. It was disgusting. And he knows it.”
The individual named Stephen may be Stephen Deuters, an assistant to Mr. Depp.
The entertainment-news website went on to caution that it was “not able to independently verify the recipients of the messages or whether they had been edited and has reached out to Depp’s rep and Deuters in regard to the texts.”
On Thursday afternoon, Hollywood gossip site DMZ.com reported that Mr. Deuters says the messages are doctored and, what’s more, “he says he will testify under oath he never had a conversation about alleged violence with Amber.”
On May 23, Ms. Heard filed for divorce from Mr. Depp, citing irreconcilable differences. Four days later, she appeared again in court, successfully obtaining a temporary restraining order against the “Pirates of the Caribbean” star, after presenting what she says is photographic evidence of Mr. Depp’s abuse.
While it appears that Mr. Depp — who is on tour in Europe — has not personally addressed Ms. Heard’s allegations, Entertainment Tonight noted that his divorce attorney Laura Wasser dismissed Ms. Heard’s charges in a court filing, claiming that she was “attempting to secure a premature financial resolution by alleging abuse.”
• Ken Shepherd can be reached at kshepherd@washingtontimes.com.
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