Aaron Phypers was accused of threatening his cousin Kathleen McAllister from sounding the alarm on his alleged abuse against Denise Richards.
Prosecutors alleged that the businessman, who was arrested on Friday on two counts of injuring a spouse and two counts of dissuading a witness by force or threat, “knowingly and maliciously” warned McAllister not to speak out through “implied threat of force and violence” in January 2022, Us Weekly reported Wednesday.
Reps for Richards and Phypers, who bailed himself out of jail after paying a $200,000 bond, weren’t immediately available to Page Six for comment.
In Richards’ July restraining order request against Phypers, 53, she recalled an unnamed family member being present in an alleged January 2022 incident that occurred at her estranged husband’s former holistic wellness center in Malibu, Calif.
The Bravolebrity, 54, claimed Phypers brought potted plants into the workplace and “became paranoid that they contained listening devices.”
Per the filing, Phypers became enraged and allegedly slammed his palm into Richards’ eye, leading to bruising.
The “Denise Richards & Her Wild Things” alum — who was granted the temporary restraining order — claimed that Phypers told her to say that she hit her face on stored equipment.
On Oct. 6, McAllister recalled the alleged incident during a hearing to make Richards’ restraining order permanent.
“I saw Aaron hit Denise and immediately she had a really bad black eye,” she testified. “I’m literally in shock now to this day about it.”
McAllister, who worked at the healing center from 2017 to 2022, echoed Richards’ allegations that Phypers believed his now-estranged wife had put listening devices in his office.
She also claimed [it was an] evening of chaos and arguing [that] kept escalating,” saying “there was alcohol mixed in.”
During McAllister’s testimony, she claimed there was “a period of escalating abuse” between Phyers and Richards from January 2022 to May 2022.
She alleged that Phypers “threatened to kill” her and the “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” alum if they told anyone about the abuse.
Phypers has previously denied Richards’ claims, saying in response to her restraining order request in September, “I have not abused her and will not abuse her.”
At the time, Phypers also alleged that the TV personality was the aggressor in their relationship, and slammed the allegations against him as “harmful” and “baseless.”
Phypers further dismissed the abuse claims during the restraining order hearing on Oct. 8, stating that Richards “bruises easily” and claiming he didn’t have a memory of the latter having a black eye.
The duo, who wed in 2018, pulled the plug on their marriage in July, citing “irreconcilable differences” as the reason for their split.
If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233.
