[Warning: Potentially Triggering Content]
Aaron Phypers‘ cousin made it clear she is on team Denise Richards all the way amid their nasty divorce battle!
As we previously reported, Denise obtained a temporary restraining order against Aaron back in July after accusing her estranged husband of domestic violence. Denise claimed that during their relationship, Aaron “frequently violently” choked her, squeezed her head with both of his hands, “tightly” squeezed her arms, slapped her face and head, slammed her head into a “bathroom towel rack [and more],” and threatened to kill her and/or himself if she ever reported the abuse. Horrible stuff.
Aaron vehemently denied the allegations. However, his own family member is now coming forward to support Denise’s side of the story.
According to People, a hearing took place on Monday to address The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum’s request to make her temporary restraining order permanent. His cousin, Kathleen McAllister, appeared in court virtually to testify, but it wasn’t to help out Aaron. She was there to back up Denise’s claims instead!
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In the shocking testimony, Kathleen, who worked as a holistic energy practitioner at Aaron’s medical office in Malibu on and off from spring 2017 to May 2022, revealed she witnessed the alleged abuse the actress suffered during their marriage a few times. She claimed she saw one “horrific” incident in the parking lot of his office, in which he “pinned [Denise] against the concrete wall where his truck was parked at the office.” She continued:
“He was choking her and her head slammed against the [wall] and caused a concussion. She was just really upset, in pain, disoriented. [I was] concerned she could have died.”
OMG!
Kathleen then claimed she witnessed another physical altercation between Denise and Aaron, this time in his office in early 2022. She said she heard “thrashing” that led to the Wild Things alum getting an “injury on her head from [Aaron] slamming her head on the toilet paper rack in the bathroom.”
In another incident a year prior, Kathleen claimed Denise had to hide in the restroom because “Aaron was terrorizing her,” adding:
“She was looking for support. I was in my office, and she was texting from the bathroom.”
His cousin said there was “a period of escalating abuse” and “yelling and arguing” between the two from January 2022 to May 2022. You may recall that Denise alleged in her restraining order filing that Aaron hit her in the eye with the heel of his palm in 2022 when he “became paranoid” that the potted plants at his work “contained listening devices.” She was left with a severe bruise, which she took photos of and submitted as evidence to support her claims. See (below):
Awful…
Aaron’s pal previously shut down the accusation, claiming the Bravo personality got the injury from a drunken fall. But according to Kathleen, she saw Aaron give Denise the black eye on January 17, 2022! She testified:
“I saw Aaron hit Denise and immediately she had a really bad black eye. I’m literally in shock now to this day about it.”
Kathleen said Denise and Aaron were arguing before the altercation because he believed his wife placed “listening devices” in his office. She mentioned “there was alcohol mixed in” and “[it was an] evening of chaos and arguing [that] kept escalating.” And it reached a point where things allegedly got physical. Per People, Kathleen even demonstrated to the court how Aaron struck Denise with the palm of his hand.
In her testimony, Kathleen said she and Denise were afraid of the businessman because he “threatened to kill” both of them:
“He just would be raging and threatening that if we told anybody, he’d kill us all. As abuse escalated through the years, he exploited our empathy.”
When asked if all these incidents involved substances, she replied:
“Aaron was what anyone would refer to as an alcoholic, so that fueled the aggression.”
Denise and Aaron are expected in court this week. We’ll see what happens next, but it is not looking good for the latter right now after his cousin’s testimony…
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, help is available. Consider calling the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233, or text START to 88788, or go to https://www.thehotline.org/.
[Image via Bravo/Bethenny Frankel/YouTube, Los Angeles Superior Court]
