Trigger Warning: This article contains a discussion of domestic violence allegations.
More disturbing allegations came to light during Denise Richards and Aaron Phyper’s latest court hearing. The exes were in court on October 6 as the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star seeks to make her temporary restraining order permanent.
In their ongoing divorce, Denise claimed that Aaron was abusive towards her, something he has consistently denied. However, during the restraining order hearing, his cousin testified against him. She said she witnessed his abuse firsthand, and she felt “deathly afraid” of him because of it.
Aaron Phypers’ cousin also testified that he had choked Denise Richards and “her head slammed against the [wall]”
At Monday’s court hearing, Denise told the judge that Aaron “almost killed” her on several occasions. Kathleen McAllister, Aaron’s cousin, added credibility to those claims with damning testimony. As People reported, Kathleen said she witnessed multiple “horrific” acts of domestic violence from the doting husband we just saw on Denise Richards & Her Wild Things.
“I saw Aaron hit Denise, and immediately she had a really bad black eye,” Kathleen said. “I’m literally in shock now to this day about it.”
According to Kathleen, the incident happened on January 17, 2022. She had been working at Aaron’s “medical office,” Quantum 360 Club, on and off for a few years, and she said she witnessed the two fighting after Aaron accused Denise of placing “listening devices” in his office.
“[It was an] evening of chaos and arguing [that] kept escalating,” Kathleen said.
At the hearing, Kathleen described multiple violent outbursts. She highlighted January through May 2022 as a particularly volatile time between Denise and Aaron. As an employee at Aaron’s business, she recalled frequently overhearing “yelling and arguing.”
In one incident, she said she heard the two “thrashing” in the office bathroom, only to discover that Aaron allegedly slammed Denise’s head on a toilet paper rack. In another instance, he reportedly pinned the star “against a concrete wall” at his office. Kathleen said she feared for Denise’s life.
“He was choking her and her head slammed against the [wall] and caused a concussion,” Kathleen told the court. “She was just really upset, in pain, disoriented. [I was] concerned she could have died.”
Kathleen told the judge that alcohol played a factor in these incidents. She described her cousin as an “alcoholic.”
In addition to the abuse, Kathleen revealed that she heard Aaron threaten Denise’s life “several times.” Allegedly, he also threatened Kathleen, leaving her and Denise concerned about their safety.
“He just would be raging and threatening that if we told anybody, he’d kill us all,” Kathleen said. “As abuse escalated through the years, he exploited our empathy.”
According to Denise’s lawyer, Kathleen’s proximity to the abuse made her feel “deathly afraid” of Aaron. She hesitated coming to the trial and sharing her testimony.
“[Kathleen was] afraid of her name being spread to the news and being intimidated by any third party who saw her name in the news,” Denise’s lawyer told the court.
If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) or text START to 88788.
