Aaron Phypers is facing serious charges after allegedly threatening his cousin, Kathleen McAllister, to stop her from speaking out about his alleged abuse of Denise Richards.
According to We weeklyProsecutors allege Phypers “knowingly and maliciously” warned McAllister not to expose him through “implied threats of violence” in January 2022.
The businessman, 53, was arrested Friday on two counts of injuring a spouse and two counts of dissuading a witness by force or threat. He was later released after posting $200,000 bail.
Richards’ restraining order request filed in July stated the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum described a January 2022 incident at the former Phypers holistic wellness center in Malibu, California.
The actress, 54, claimed her then-husband became paranoid that potted plants in the room contained listening devices. The argument reportedly escalated until Phypers allegedly hit her.
Richards said Phypers “became enraged and hit him with his palm [her] eye,” which left her with visible bruises.
She also claimed he told her to say she accidentally hit her face on stored equipment.
During an Oct. 6 court hearing to make the restraining order permanent, McAllister testified that she witnessed the incident.
“I saw Aaron hit Denise and straight away she got a really bad black eye,” she told the court. “I’m literally in shock about it to this day.”
McAllister, who worked at the Phypers healing center from 2017 to 2022, backed up Richards’ story, saying the evening became chaotic with “altercations that kept escalating” and “alcohol involved.”
She alleged that Phypers’ behavior worsened between January and May 2022, claiming he “threatened to kill” both her and Richards if they revealed the abuse.
However, Phypers has denied all allegations. In response to the restraining order in September, he stated, “I have not and will not abuse her,” calling the allegations “damaging” and “baseless.”
He also claimed that Richards had been the aggressor in their relationship.
During the Oct. 8 hearing, Phypers repeated his denial, telling the court that his estranged wife “bruises easily” and that he could not remember her ever having a black eye.
Richards and Phypers married in 2018 but split in July, citing “irreconcilable differences” in their divorce filing.
