FAIRFAX COUNTY, Va. — No one really wants to go to court, let alone jury duty, but for six weeks hundreds have lined up outside the Fairfax County Courthouse to get a glimpse of the Johnny Depp and Amber Heard defamation trial.
"I am in the courthouse every day. I couldn't get it today because they really rushed in everybody. There were 120 people in front of me," says Yvonne DeBoer, who flew from Los Angeles to Virginia, spending all her paid time off to be one of 100 spectators allowed inside the courtroom.
Closing arguments were delivered Friday after more than 100 hours of dramatic testimony that kept viewers like Lilian Carp glued to their screen.
"It's really sad, the situation for both of them, the drugs and alcohol involved how your life can change," said Carp, who drove over an hour from West Virginia to get a taste of the action. Carp does not consider herself a Depp fan, but says she has been drawn in by the details of the former couple's relationship.
Depp is suing his ex-wife for 50 million dollars claiming that a 2018 op-ed that Heard wrote about being a public figure representing domestic violence hurt the reputation of the Pirates of the Caribbean star.
Series: Read more of the Johnny Depp v. Amber Heard Trial
Heard is countersuing for 100 million dollars arguing that calling her claims false also hurts her career and that she has been defamed.
Outside the courtroom, there has also been drama.
"People are getting pushed, shoved, rammed, I had a lady that bounced off a barrister," says DeBoer, adding that at the beginning of the trial, the number of spectators were in the dozens and manageable but once Depp took the stand, the crowd grew bigger and tensions rose.
Spectators were allowed to enter the premises at 1 a.m. which meant that crowds would rush in the middle of the night just to wait for 8 or more hours to enter the courtroom.
"You have to be prepared. Long hours, super cold, all crunched together, you are not going to get along with everyone," says DeBoer who does not regret all the she has sacrificed to see Depp.
"Seeing him, he spent time with me. He stopped the car and talked to me. That did it! I am happy!"
The jury deliberations will resume after the holiday weekend.