LA police officer saw ‘no crime’ at Depp-Heard penthouse
Los Angeles, US, Apr 26 (EFE).- A Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) officer who responded to an alleged domestic dispute at the penthouse apartment that Amber Heard shared with Johnny Depp said she did not identify a crime nor identify Heard as a victim of domestic violence, a Virginia court heard Tuesday.
On day nine of the actors’ defamation trial, Fairfax County court played a pre-recorded video deposition of officer Melissa Saenz, who attended the residence in response to an LAPD dispatch.
“I did not identify her as a victim of domestic violence,” the officer said, adding that Heard was crying, not making eye contact and would not give further information.
According to Saenz, the visit to the apartment lasted less than 20 minutes on the night of May 21, 2016, just days before Heard filed for divorce and a restraining order.
Upon a sweep of the apartment, there was no evidence of property damage or injury to Heard, and no photos or notes were taken of the scene, she added.
After the visit, Saenz, who said she had probably attended around 100 domestic violence cases before attending the call to the penthouse, did not file a report and cited the incident as “closed” because she determined that “no crime” had been committed.
During the testimony, which was recorded on Mar. 31 last year, Heard’s lawyers showed some photos of the actress and asked the officer what her perception was of “the redness on the cheek and the eyelid and above the eyebrow.”
“It’s consistent with her crying – she’s fair skin, her face is flushed,” said Saenz.
Psychologist Shannon Curry, who was hired by Depp’s lawyers last year to review files on the case and was later asked to provide a psychological evaluation of Heard, also took the stand.
“The results of Ms Heard’s evaluation supported two diagnoses: Borderline Personality Disorder and Histrionic Personality Disorder,” she told the court, adding that the former was associated with an underlying terror of abandonment and desperate attempts to stop it.
The statements come a day after Depp concluded four days of oral testimony, in which he said that he has never hit a woman and presented himself as a victim of domestic violence who was attacked by Heard.
Depp, who arrived at court in a suit and sunglasses, was cheered on several times by the public gallery. Also present was Heard, whose testimony is expected in the coming weeks.
Depp, 58, is suing Heard, 36, for $50 million over an article she wrote in 2018 in which she alluded to herself as a victim of domestic abuse. He denies this, and says the article damaged his career.
Heard has filed a $100 million counterclaim. EFE
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