Amber Heard’s Chilling Texts To Johnny Depp’s Assistant Released; Tech Expert Confirms Messages Are ‘Authentic’

Amber Heard’s tale of abuse suffered at the hands of husband Johnny Depp just got even more heartbreaking, with the release of some texts from 2014. Texts between the actress and her estranged husband’s assistant detail one incident in particular. But are they genuine?

Messages between Heard and Stephen Deuters were released early this week. The conversation, from May 2014, concerned a violent incident between Depp, 52, and Heard, 30, that resulted in the “Magic Mike XXL” actress being kicked. Deuters — who now says the text message exchange was doctored — informs Heard that the “Alice Through the Looking Glass” actor did not remember the altercation and “was appalled” by his own actions upon learning of them. While Deuters has denied the authenticity of the conversation, People magazine obtained a statement from a tech expert who is siding with Heard.

“On Sunday, June 5, 2016, I was asked to examine iPhone backups of Amber Heard. It was her normal routine to sync her iPhone on the computer,” Kevin Cohen wrote. “I forensically imaged and examined the device containing Ms. Heard’s iPhone backups, and I conclude that the backups are authentic.”

Heard and Deuters’ texts became public on June 1. According to People, one message in particular shows Depp’s assistant apologizing for him, assuring Heard that her husband “wants to get better now.” She explains her fears to Deuters, telling him she is afraid to be around Depp, adding that she was considering leaving him. TMZ reported that Deuters denied that the physical altercation described in the texts ever occurred and claimed Heard doctored the screenshot. Heard, however, said this was just one of many violent occurrences during their marriage.

While the Texas native continues sharing more and more details about her alleged abusive relationship with Depp, sources close to her say it was never her intention to “bury him.” On June 2, TMZ reported that Heard was in no way trying to blackmail the actor. In fact, she went to great lengths to avoid getting police involved, in the hopes that it would spare Depp the embarrassment of being arrested and possibly prosecuted.

Still, friends and family continue to stand with Depp. Bodyguards Jerry Judge and Sean Bett are believed to have agreed to testify about abuse and other things they witnessed while working for Depp and Heard. On May 31, TMZ reported that the pair will discuss one specific incident before a judge which shifts the blame from Depp to Heard. Sources say Judge and Bett were standing outside the door of the couple’s apartment while they argued inside. Heard is said to have shouted that she’d been hit by Depp, which sent their bodyguards running inside, only to find her sitting in a living room and Depp standing in the kitchen. Sources say Heard was trying to trick the guards into believing Depp had been physically abusive to her, though that was not the case. The publication reports that Judge and Bett claim Heard was the volatile one and frequently had violent outbursts. She is believed to have assaulted her estranged husband on more than one occasion, throwing bottles and charging at him.