Aaron Phypers’ cousin, Kathleen McAllister, has come forward with alarming testimony in support of Denise Richards’ request for a permanent restraining order against her estranged husband.
Speaking virtually in court on Monday, McAllister described what she called “horrific” incidents of abuse she claims to have witnessed while working with Phypers at his Malibu holistic healing center from 2017 to 2022.
One of the most serious, she alleged, took place in the parking lot of his office, where she said Phypers pinned Richards against a concrete wall and choked her, as per Page Six.
“He was choking her and her head slammed against the [wall] and caused a concussion,” McAllister testified, according to PEOPLE.
“She was just really upset, in pain, disoriented. [I was] concerned she could have died.”
McAllister also recounted another alleged altercation in early 2022 inside a bathroom at the center.
She said she heard “thrashing” before seeing that Richards had suffered a head injury after Phypers allegedly slammed her against a toilet paper rack.
In yet another instance, McAllister claimed Richards hid in the bathroom to escape while “he was terrorizing her,” texting for help during what she described as a period of escalating arguments.
According to her testimony, Richards endured repeated abuse between January and May 2022, including a moment when McAllister said she personally witnessed Phypers strike the actress.
“I saw Aaron hit Denise and immediately she had a really bad black eye,” she recalled.
The fight, she said, stemmed from Phypers’ suspicion that Richards had placed “listening devices” in his office, and alcohol allegedly made the situation more volatile.
McAllister went on to describe Phypers as an alcoholic whose drinking “fueled the aggression.”
She alleged that he often made frightening threats, including saying he would kill both Richards and herself if they told anyone. “He just would be raging and threatening that if we told anybody, he’d kill us all,” she said.
Phypers has consistently denied all allegations of abuse. In response to Richards’ earlier filing for a temporary restraining order, he stated, “I have not abused her and will not abuse her,” and accused Richards of being the “aggressive one.”
He also called her claims “harmful” and “baseless.”
Richards’ legal team told the court that McAllister was “deathly afraid” of Phypers and agreed to testify only under the condition that her name not appear on the witness list.
Richards was granted a temporary restraining order in July, shortly after Phypers filed for divorce.
She alleged at the time that he had “frequently” abused her during their six-year marriage. Both are expected to appear in court later this week as the case continues.
