Who is Raquel Pennington? How Amber Heard's Longtime Friend and Neighbor is Involved in Her Abuse Claims

Amber Heard's friend Raquel Pennington is supporting her amid her dramatic split from husband Johnny Depp

Photo: Brewer/McManus/Splash News Online

Amber Heard is leaning on her longtime friend for support after making shocking allegations of domestic abuse against husband Johnny Depp – but who is Raquel Pennington, the woman named by the actress in court documents and seen with her in L.A. earlier this week?

In Heard’s filing for a domestic violence restraining order – which was granted on Friday, just days after she filed for divorce – Pennington is cited as a witness to the May 21 incident during which the star said Depp threw a cell phone at her.

Pennington said that she has maintained a friendship with Heard since 2003, and lives in a condominium unit with her fiancé Joshua Drew in the same Los Angeles building as Heard and Depp. She noted that she has a key to Depp and Heard’s unit.

“On May 21, 2016, I was in my condominium with Joshua when received a text message from Amber at approximately 8:06 p.m., asking me to come over to her condominium unit,” Pennington said in the documents. “I immediately went over to Amber’s place. When I got to the door, I could hear Amber and Johnny arguing inside. I knocked on the locked door, but there was no answer, so I quickly ran back to my apartment to get my key to open Amber’s door.”

Pennington alleged that upon entering the apartment, she saw Heard cowering while Depp screamed at her, so she attempted to block him with her hands, before covering the actress with her body “to protect her from him.”

“Many times over the past few years, Amber has confided and complained to me about Johnny’s abusing her, both physically and verbally,” Pennington alleged.

Pennington, who shares her name with an MMA fighter, crafts jewelry under the name Hanuman Heart, according to social media. The necklaces are created with mala and meditation beads.

In 2011, Pennington – who practices yoga – wrote on Facebook that she then worked for a specialty foods brokerage.

The California resident often supports Heard at public events, attending the premiere of the star’s movie Paranoia in 2013 with fellow friend iO Tillett.

They also enjoyed a solo outing back in April 2012 – before Depp and Heard were linked.

More recently, Pennington spent a “Ladies Night” in New York City and supported Heard’s charitable work with The Art of Elysium.

Of Heard’s allegations, an LAPD spokesperson told PEOPLE that officers responded to a 911 call on May 21 but determined there was “no evidence of any crime.”

In response to Heard’s restraining order request, Depp’s divorce attorney Laura Wasser said in court documents that Heard is “attempting to secure a premature financial resolution by alleging abuse.”