'Save A Life': Amber Heard Fans Travel To Show Support In Depp Trial

FAIRFAX CITY, VA — Six weeks into the Johnny Depp vs. Amber Heard defamation trial, supporters continue to show up outside the Fairfax County Courthouse, hoping to get a glimpse of the two celebrities on their way to and from court.

"We came because my daughter had a dance competition in Woodbridge, and we were right here, so I said, 'Why not?'" Chrissy from Hampton, Virginia, told a Patch reporter.

She and her daughter saw Depp and his team when they arrived at the courthouse around 8:50 a.m. Monday.

The mother and daughter were part of a small group that had gathered behind the barriers at the Judicial Drive entrance to the courthouse. One of them said the "Pirates of the Caribbean" star could sometimes be seen coming out the back of the building during breaks to smoke a cigarette.

"I'm a huge Johnny Depp fan," Chrissy said. "I have been a fan of Johnny Depp since '21 Jump Street,' when I was like the teen in high school."

Depp was expected to take the stand Monday, after his lawyers last week tried to counter his ex-wife's portrayal of him as a jealous and drunken abuser who had only himself to blame for the downturn in his career, according to The Associated Press.

Depp's libel suit stemmed from a 2018 Washington Post op-ed in which Heard characterized herself as “a public figure representing domestic abuse.” Even though the article did not mention Depp by name, his lawyers have claimed that it cost him his lucrative film career including the highly successful "Pirates of the Caribbean" franchise, according to the AP.

Read the full AP story: Heard's lawyers try to poke holes in Depp's libel lawsuit

Depp filed the defamation lawsuit against Heard in Virginia because the Washington Post's online editions are published through computer servers in Fairfax County.

Depp's lawyers also chose to file the case in Virginia because the state's anti-SLAPP law — or Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation — is more relaxed than the one in California, InsideNoVa reported. Anti-SLAPP laws prevent people from using courts, and potential threats of lawsuits, to intimidate others from exercising their First Amendment rights.

Hannah, who drove up from Richmond with her future sister-in-law, Caroline, has been following the trial since day one. She admitted to being a little nervous at the beginning of the trial.

"I know that they've been through this before, but I think it's looking up in Johnny's case," she said. "I think that's really good. He has some good evidence."

Christina Taft, a Los Angeles data scientist and founder of Worldie.com, was outside the courthouse for the first day of the trial on April 11 and has been there for three of the trial's six weeks.

View a livestream of the Johnny Depp vs. Amber Heard trial.

Taft was there again Monday for the start of what many expected to be the trial's final week.

"Closing statements are on Friday. They have to," she said. "But then there has to be a deliberation by the jury."

From the beginning, Taft has been an adamant Heard supporter, saying that the "Aquaman" actress has been the victim of unfair treatment online.

"It's going in her favor, but it's been so spliced online, you can't find clips that support her," said Taft, holding the same poster she brought with her on the first day of the trial.

Related: Johnny Depp Sneaks Into VA Courtroom For 1st Day Of Defamation Trial