Aaron Phypers is not looking good in court — and this time, the accusations are coming from inside his own family.
Cousin Testifies to ‘Horrific’ Abuse
Kathleen McAllister, the cousin of Denise Richards’ estranged husband, backed up Richards’ previous allegations of domestic violence during a virtual court hearing on Monday, October 6. The hearing addressed Richards’ request to make her temporary restraining order against Phypers permanent amid their ongoing divorce.
McAllister testified that she witnessed Phypers, 53, give Richards, 54, a black eye on January 17, 2022. “I saw Aaron hit Denise and immediately she had a really bad black eye,” McAllister said, per People. “I’m literally in shock now to this day about it.”
She told the court the pair had been fighting that night because Phypers thought Richards had placed “listening devices” in his office — and alcohol made the situation worse. McAllister, who worked at Phypers’ Malibu medical office as a holistic energy practitioner from 2017 to 2022, demonstrated how he allegedly hit Richards with the palm of his hand. “[Denise] was in shock, I was in shock,” she said.
This wasn’t a one-off. McAllister described a “period of escalating abuse” between January and May 2022, with repeated yelling, arguing, and threats. She claimed she saw Phypers “pin [Denise] against the concrete wall where his truck was parked at the office,” adding that “he was choking her and her head slammed against the wall and caused a concussion. She was just really upset, in pain, disoriented. [I was] concerned she could have died.”
McAllister also described an incident between January and May 2022 in which she heard “thrashing” in the bathroom. She claimed Richards sustained a head injury after Phypers slammed her head into a toilet paper rack. Another fight in March 2021 left Richards hiding in the bathroom, texting McAllister for help. “Aaron was terrorizing her, and she was looking for support,” she said.
Aaron Phypers Accused of Threats, Alcohol-Fueled Rages
McAllister didn’t mince words about Phypers’ behavior. She said she had heard him threaten to kill Richards “several times” — and that they both feared for their lives. “He just would be raging and threatening that if we told anybody, he’d kill us all,” she testified. “As abuse escalated through the years, he exploited our empathy.”
When asked if substances played a role, McAllister replied that “Aaron was what anyone would refer to as an alcoholic, so that fueled the aggression.”
McAllister only agreed to testify on the condition her name be kept off the witness list. Richards’ lawyer told the judge she was “deathly afraid of Mr. Phypers,” given her close proximity to the 2022 incidents.
Phypers has denied Richards’ allegations in a previous statement to People, calling them “completely false and deeply hurtful.” He has not responded to McAllister’s testimony.
Richards and Phypers are expected back in court on October 8.
If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or visit thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
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