Coachella / Palm Springs
Also: the Coachella trip, Heard's 30th birthday weekend
Intro
The Coachella music festival weekend of April 22–25, 2016 coincided with Heard's 30th birthday and fell within the window of her May 2016 divorce filing. Starling Jenkins III, Depp's security, drove her to the Parker Hotel in Palm Springs; he testified that during the drive Heard described the earlier-that-week "poop in the bed" incident as a "horrible practical joke gone wrong," and that over the weekend he observed no visible injuries on her, only heavy makeup. He witnessed Heard become ill at the festival from eating mushrooms and drinking red wine on an empty stomach. A Falati nursing note from May 11 records Heard admitting to simultaneous mushroom, MDMA, and alcohol use at Coachella, vomiting, and being "high" for at least 24 hours. Whitney Henriquez also acknowledged seeing no marks or swelling on Heard at Coachella — only heavy makeup — the day after an alleged fight with Depp.
Key Moments (7)
During the drive to the Coachella festival, Heard raised the subject of the defecation in Depp's bed, describing it as 'a horrible practical joke gone wrong.'
Day 11 · Direct of Starling Jenkins III
Jenkins testified Heard became sick at Coachella from eating magic mushrooms and drinking red wine on an empty stomach, which he witnessed directly; he drove her back to the hotel alone, obtained hydrating fluids and Advil, and returned to pick up the rest of the group.
Day 11 · Direct of Starling Jenkins III
Jenkins testified he saw no injuries on Heard during the rest of the Coachella weekend, and that he had never witnessed any physical abuse between Depp and Heard.
Day 11 · Direct of Starling Jenkins III
Rottenborn questions Jenkins about Coachella. Jenkins confirms Heard and friends were having a good time; he heard no discussion of domestic violence in the car. Rottenborn's question on whether Jenkins would expect Heard to discuss DV with Depp's 23-year employee is sustained out on speculation.
Day 11 · Cross of Starling Jenkins III
Crawford distinguishes Whitney Heard from Amber Heard, eliciting Jenkins' confirmation that it was Amber — not Whitney — who was sick at Coachella, resolving an ambiguity Rottenborn's cross may have introduced.
Day 11 · Redirect of Starling Jenkins III
Falati's May 11, 2016 nursing entry recorded Heard admitting to simultaneous use of mushrooms and MDMA with alcohol at Coachella (April 22–24, 2016), remaining 'high' for at least 24 hours. Heard laughed at Falati's warning and disclosed further illicit drug use (mushrooms and MDMA) on May 9, 2016 at home with a 'high-profile male acquaintance.'
Day 13 · Cross of Erin Falati
Pennington acknowledges seeing Heard use cocaine fewer than five times and doing cocaine with her, though not during the Depp relationship. She also confirms seeing Heard use mushrooms approximately three times while Heard was with Depp, including at two Coachellas and possibly Hicksville.
Day 17 · Direct of Raquel Pennington
Quotes From The Record (5)
“A horrible practical joke gone wrong.”
— Starling Jenkins III
Jenkins's recounting of Heard's own words characterizing the bed defecation — offered without prompting by Heard herself during the drive to Coachella.
“Eating magic mushrooms and drinking red wine on an empty stomach.”
— Starling Jenkins III
Jenkins's firsthand account of the cause of Heard's illness at Coachella, based on what he personally observed in the hotel room and vehicle.
“Amber was sick.”
— Starling Jenkins III
Directly clarifies that Jenkins' Coachella observations — including no visible injuries — pertained to Amber Heard, not her sister Whitney.
“I didn't want you to fucking go to Coachella without fucking talking to me because I left you because you were fucking -- you fuckin' O haymakered me, man. You came around the bed and fuckin' started punching on me.”
— Johnny Depp
Depp's recorded accusation about the 30th-birthday incident played by Vasquez to show Heard did not deny it in real time.
“The first Coachella that we went to, a second Coachella that we went to, and maybe at Hicksville. I can't be sure about that”
— Raquel Pennington
Specifies occasions when Pennington observed Heard use mushrooms while Heard was in a relationship with Depp, establishing a pattern of drug use during that period.