Amber Heard describes escalating abuse, rape by actor Johnny Depp

FAIRFAX, Va. (CN) — Amber Heard took the witness stand for a second straight day Thursday and tearfully told a Virginia jury that her ex-husband, actor Johnny Depp, raped her with a bottle.

In testimony that began in the morning and stretched throughout the afternoon, she used the word monster to describe her ex-husband during his periods of episodic violence. This was the side of Johnny Depp capable of horrible things, Heard testified.  He hit her, kicked her, put his knee in her back, pulled her hair and threatened to kill her. He was jealous when she performed with other actors, such as James Franco and Billy Bob Thornton. And for all that, she told the jury, "Yes, it was awful at times, but I loved him."

Even so, Depp was twice her age and brought to the relationship serious substance abuse issues.

 “It felt so unfair,” she remembered. “It felt like nothing I could do would change his sobriety patterns. Nothing I could do would stand up to him. And nothing I did made him stop hitting me. Nothing.”

Heard, 36, testified yesterday during the fourth week of a defamation trial at the Fairfax County Judicial Center. Depp first sued his ex-wife in March 2019, three months after The Washington Post published an op-ed in which the "Aquaman" actress described herself as a public figure representing abuse.

The article never mentioned Depp by name, but he has contended that she was referring to him. His lawsuit argues that Depp lost the part for which he is most well-known, Capt. Jack Sparrow in the "Pirates of the Caribbean" franchise as a result. He is demanding $50 million in damages. Heard has countersued for $100 million. The case is in Virginia because the Post is printed there.

The trial is in its fourth week, and Depp, 58, maintains that he never assaulted Heard. But during the past two days, Heard has painted a picture of Depp as possessing a mercurial temperament — generous and loving with flashes of anger and dangerous fury particularly when not sober.

Responding to questions from one of her attorneys, Elaine Bredehoft, Heard recounted an incident in Australia in 2015, when Depp was filming "Pirates of the Caribbean 5."  Heard also had a role in another film, “The Danish Girl,” with Eddie Redmayne and Alicia Vikander. After filming the movie, she was to travel to Australia to be with Depp.

Depp had rented a house for the duration of filming and Heard arrived to find him agitated. They began to argue about his drinking.

Depp taunted Heard, challenging her to take the bottle. She managed to take it and smashed it on the floor.

"A lightbulb switch went off," she recalled. "And he starts screaming. I don't know if he backhanded me or hit me normally. I don't recall but I remember it sent me down to the ground."

She scrambled back to her feet. Depp had a bottle in his hand, she testified. He threw it at her. It missed. Later, he held a broken bottle against her jawline. "He told me he'd carve up my face."

She remembers feeling terrified as he threw bottles at her. "I can feel glass breaking behind me," she remembered. She tried to get away but slipped on the tile. He ripped her nightgown off. She was naked and couldn't get her footing. He screamed that he hated her.

He had her by the neck. "I'm looking in his eyes and I don't see him anymore. It was black. I couldn't see him," she said, now crying. "I didn't think he knew what he was doing."

She felt pressure on her pubic bone and was afraid to move. Looking around the room, she noticed broken bottles and glass. "I didn't know if the bottle that he had inside of me was broken," she said. "Please God, please, I hope it's not broken."

She doesn't know how she got away but remembers retching and losing control of her bladder. Later, she saw blood on the walls, including what looked like her name. Depp had a rag around his hand. His finger had been severed.

As Heard was preparing to leave to return to California, she found pieces of her nightgown wrapped around raw steak as well as the smeared blood on the walls.

The couple reunited but there was another blow-up when Heard discovered Depp was having an affair. Heard thought Depp was going to hit her sister, and so the actress punched Depp.

The jury saw photos of her eyes and lips bruised as a result of one of the altercations. One photo showed an apparent gash in her scalp.

During testimony, Heard often appeared to be short of breath. At several points, she wept uncontrollably. A female deputy escorted her as she walked to the witness stand, creating a buffer between the actress and Depp.

The court will not be in session next week. The case will continue the week of May 16.

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