Josh Drew
Josh Drew is the ex-husband of Raquel Pennington, a close friend of Amber Heard who lived in one of Depp's Eastern Columbia Building penthouses. Drew and Pennington occupied PH1 rent-free as Depp's guests, with shared key access to PH3 and PH5. He was called to testify by Depp's legal team, making him a Depp-side witness whose cross-examination proved highly favorable to Heard's narrative.
Testimony Impact
Drew testified about the aftermath of two key incidents — December 15, 2015 and May 21, 2016 — describing visible injuries on Heard's face and extensive property damage across multiple penthouses on both occasions. He categorically denied ever witnessing Depp strike Heard, yielding Depp's side favorable denials of direct abuse, while simultaneously corroborating injury evidence and the responding officer's May 21 assessment that Heard's face was red. On cross, Drew identified Depp's handwriting on a vandalized kitchen counter, confirmed photographic injury evidence from December 2015, and admitted witnessing Depp use drugs on more than twenty occasions. He disclosed his own status as a domestic violence survivor and characterized Heard's decision not to file a police report as protective of Depp — framing an absence of formal complaint as evidence of the dynamic rather than the absence of an incident.
Notable Quotes From The Record
“I recall it was held in PH5, Johnny was hours late, and Amber spent the better part of the evening making excuses for him. And he came very, obviously, intoxicated and put on a show for everybody.”
Drew's firsthand account of Depp's conduct at Heard's 30th birthday dinner establishes visible intoxication and late arrival, noted by a witness personally close to Heard.
“there's damage in these apartments, her face is red. If she wants to file a report, we have enough here to go pick him up.”
Drew relays the responding officer's May 21 assessment, corroborating both visible injury and property damage while establishing that no arrest followed because Heard declined to file.
“I don't remember what side of her face it was, but I do distinctly remember there being a red mark and a small bruise on her cheekbone, and red marks just above her eyebrow and to the side - or to the side of her eyebrow.”
Drew's description of marks on Heard's face on May 22 corroborates physical injury after the May 21 incident, without firsthand knowledge of the cause.
“Elon Musk was a gentleman that Amber dated intermittently following the restraining order.”
Drew places Musk at Heard's penthouse weeks after the restraining order while she remained legally married to Depp, relevant to character and relationship timeline.
“I noticed, specifically, she had -- she had pretty significant bruising on the inside of both eye sockets, kind of extending down the bridge of her nose, and her forehead was red”
Drew describes significant facial bruising on Heard following the December 15, 2015 incident — corroborating injury while acknowledging he did not witness how it occurred.
“I'm sure there will be an objection to this response, but I knew it was his handwriting.”
Drew anticipates pushback but volunteers his identification of Depp as the author, underscoring confidence in the attribution.
“Why be a fraud. All is such bullshit.”
Drew reads aloud the writing he attributed to Depp on the kitchen counter during the December 15, 2015 incident, the central exhibit of that part of his testimony.
“If I had any knowledge of that or even suspected, this would be a very different interview.”
Drew forcefully denies any knowledge of photo manipulation, characterizing the suggestion as something that would have fundamentally changed his involvement.
“Open this fucking door and get me in here.”
Drew quotes Depp verbatim from the May 21 incident, placing Depp as the aggressor demanding entry to Drew's apartment.
“I'm a survivor of domestic violence myself.”
Drew discloses personal history as a DV survivor, contextualizing why he recognized the dynamics and why he understood Heard's reluctance to involve police.
Key Moments
Drew delivers a categorical denial — he never witnessed Depp strike Heard, throw a phone at her, or hit her with a fist, from their first meeting through the day of testimony — establishing the core denial Depp's team called him to provide.
Day 18 · Direct of Josh Drew
Drew relays the responding officer's May 21 assessment verbatim: 'there's damage in these apartments, her face is red. If she wants to file a report, we have enough here to go pick him up' — simultaneously corroborating visible injury and explaining why no arrest followed.
Day 18 · Direct of Josh Drew
Drew describes significant bruising on Heard's eye sockets and down the bridge of her nose following the December 15, 2015 incident — firsthand corroboration of physical injury without claiming to know the cause.
Day 18 · Direct of Josh Drew
Drew discloses that Heard reached out approximately two months before trial to make amends, then separately warned him he would likely be contacted by Heard's legal team — testimony that Depp's side could frame as witness coordination and Heard's side could frame as reconciliation.
Day 18 · Direct of Josh Drew
Drew identifies Depp's handwriting on the December 2015 kitchen counter photograph — 'Why be a fraud. All is such bullshit.' — based on Depp's distinctive penmanship, anchoring the vandalism exhibit to Depp directly.
Day 18 · Cross of Josh Drew
Drew discloses he is a domestic violence survivor, then characterizes Heard's refusal to file a police report as 'She was still protecting him' — reframing the absence of a formal complaint as evidence of the abusive dynamic rather than absence of an incident.
Day 18 · Cross of Josh Drew
Chew presses an internal inconsistency — Drew had said the dogs were too small to climb stairs, yet one apparently jumped on a bed — and Drew resolves it by clarifying one dog had both abilities and the other had neither, closing the contradiction without lasting damage.
Day 18 · Redirect of Josh Drew
Locations
Evidence From Their Proceedings (8)
December 2015 Heard Facial Injury Photos — Drew Exhibit 11
A set of photographs depicting Heard's facial injuries from December 15, 2015, attached as exhibit 13 to Heard's deposition declaration. Josh Drew confirmed he was present during…
Catalog entry →Drew 1 — Hand-drawn architectural floor plan of the penthouse layout
Hand-drawn architectural floor plan of the penthouse layout used to orient testimony about movements on May 21.
Catalog entry →Drew 7 — Document covering pages 10–13 relating to the May 21, 2016 i
Document covering pages 10–13 relating to the May 21, 2016 incident, referenced as the basis for Kaplan's narrative questioning.
Catalog entry →Drew Exhibit 10 — Kitchen Counter Writing, PH3 (Dec. 15, 2015)
A photograph of the kitchen counter in Penthouse 3 showing handwriting attributed to Depp reading 'Why be a fraud. All is such bullshit.' Josh Drew identified the handwriting as…
Catalog entry →Drew Exhibit 18 — PH5 Damage Photos (May 21, 2016)
Photographs depicting damage inside Penthouse 5 from the May 21, 2016 incident, including Heard's closet area and a stairwell landing.
Catalog entry →Heard–Pennington Text Timestamped 8:06 p.m. (May 21 2016)
A text message from Amber Heard to Raquel Pennington timestamped 8:06 p.m. on May 21, 2016.
Catalog entry →May 21, 2016 Night Photos by Drew — Injuries and Apartment
A series of photographs taken on the night of May 21, 2016, designated as Drew Exhibit 13, depicting Heard's facial injuries, apartment damage including broken glass and pictures…
Catalog entry →May 22, 2016 Face Photos — Drew 14
Photographs of Heard's face taken on May 22, 2016, the day after the May 21 incident, designated as Drew Exhibit 14. Drew confirmed they were taken by him or Pennington and were…
Catalog entry →