Depp’s former friend describes his drug abuse
The first witness called to the stand Thursday for Heard’s defense was Bruce Witkin, a longtime former friend of Depp.
Witkin said that he had been close friends from about 1982 to 2018, saying Depp was probably his best friend at a point. He wasn’t sure what ended their friendship but said that Depp sent him a text saying Witkin had “stabbed him in the back” and never explained it.
“I didn’t get to have the conversation with him, ‘what are you talking about?'” Witkin said. “I know he wasn’t happy with my testimony, but I wasn’t gonna lie.”
During their friendship, Witkin said he observed Depp abusing substances and recommended Depp get sober and go into therapy. Depp got sober a few times, Witkin said.
“In my experience it’s deep rooted issues he’s dealing with,” Witkin said. “It had nothing to do with Amber, in my opinion.”
Witkin also said that he had concerns that the man Depp hired to help him get sober, Dr. David Kipper, was running a “scam.” While working with Kipper to detox from opiates, Witkin said that he knew Depp was still using other substances.
“It just seemed weird to me there was weed and wine in the soberness,” he testified.
He also spoke of his surprise when he saw Depp using cocaine, for the first time in 2014 and again in 2016.
“I was quite surprised because when we were kids, he hated it,” Witkin said. “But then after that when I said, ‘why are you doing this?,’ he kind of hid it from me for a long time.”
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