EmailPrintMIAMI -- Tyreek Hill's wife, Lakeeta Vaccaro, faced intense cross-examination on the second day of a civil assault and battery trial against the former All-Pro wide receiver.Attorneys for Hill on Wednesday attempted to show discrepancies in Vaccaro's testimony and used police photos of her after a January 2024 incident to try to discredit her claims that he had physically abused her.Hill's attorney, Michael Gottlieb, showed jurors photos of Vaccaro taken from various angles by police after an alleged altercation with her husband in an Orlando, Florida, hotel. Under cross-examination, she acknowledged the photos -- in which she was wearing a short-sleeve T-shirt and black pants -- did not show any red marks, bruising or scratches on her body or face. But Vaccaro told the court that she looked "beat down" in the photos.Gottlieb continued by asking if Vaccaro took photos of injuries after any of the alleged incidents with Hill. Vaccaro said she did not because she "wasn't trying to collect evidence."The questioning got heated on occasion, with the judge admonishing Gottlieb multiple times for interrupting Vaccaro while she tried to answer questions during the nearly three-hour cross-examination.During the questioning, Hill showed little reaction, occasionally snacking on what appeared to be candy or pretzels as he sat next to another defense attorney.At one point during the cross-examination, Gottlieb read jurors a text message Vaccaro sent to her husband shortly before the birth of their daughter that said, "I am so grateful for you, babe. Thank you for everything you do for our family and for making this pregnancy such a beautiful and special journey."The attorney tried repeatedly to undermine her credibility by juxtaposing her descriptions of violence and personal crisis against outward expressions of normalcy. Vaccaro told jurors she was about to have a baby and wanted to "keep the family intact" and be on "good terms" with Hill.Gottlieb repeatedly asked Vaccaro why she didn't tell anyone about the alleged abuse. She testified that the "police, and pediatrician, OB-GYN" were all "so starstruck, every single one of them" with the former Dolphins wide receiver that she didn't want to embarrass him. She said "it wasn't something I wanted to publicly say. It was hard for me to even say this now."Vaccaro said people were so enamored with Hill that a doctor asked for a selfie with him while Vaccaro was in labor with their daughter.Vaccaro said the turning point for her came during an April 6, 2024, confrontation the couple had in their daughter's room at their Miami-area condominium. The encounter was caught on a nanny camera while their daughter was napping. Vaccaro's mother was present at the time and witnessed the encounter."He's taking our daughter into the violence," Vaccaro said. "He ended up getting her out of the crib and running to the elevator, running to leave with no shoes on. The baby just woke up. There was no need for that."On the recording, Hill is heard telling Vaccaro to "chill, chill chill" and to stop "pushing me." Vaccaro said Hill only said those things because he knew he was being recorded on the nanny cam.Vaccaro's mother called the police, who arrived shortly after the altercation started. Vaccaro said she told authorities she didn't want Hill taken to jail and that she was "going to get myself out of the situation."She told jurors she didn't tell the police "every single thing because I didn't want this to be out in the media. I was obviously trying to protect the situation and just get a divorce and move on."Vaccaro filed for divorce two days later.Vaccaro's fraternal twin sister, Ashley Vaccaro, also testified Wednesday. Ashley said she was staying in the baby's room when she heard shouting down the hall. She said she cracked open the door and witnessed the aftermath of a spitting incident between Hill and Vaccaro. Ashley testified she saw her sister wipe her face and say, "Ugh, that smells like throw up."Ashley became emotional as she described the events of that night, calling it "frightening" and describing Hill's tone as "aggressive and scary."During cross-examination, Hill's attorney asked if Ashley had any knowledge of physical abuse of her sister by Hill. She responded she did not, but Lakeeta Vaccaro had told her about the abuse, and "I believe her."Vaccaro's brother, Kevin Vaccaro, also testified. The former defensive back for the Texas Longhorns recounted various changes -- weight loss, emotional withdrawal -- he saw in Lakeeta as her marriage to Hill deteriorated. He noted one phone call in which he heard Hill yelling. He said he heard his sister scream and then nothing but silence."That's when we really got worried about her," he testified.Vaccaro's lawyer said on Thursday he plans to call Vaccaro's mother as well as display portions of a deposition by Crystal Espinal, a former girlfriend who had accused Hill of domestic violence in 2014 while she was pregnant with his child, leading to a three-year probation sentence for Hill.Hill is expected to testify as early as Thursday afternoon.The trial began the same week that Hill's agent told ESPN's Adam Schefter that his client would potentially be signing a contract with a new team soon. NFL spokesperson Brian McCarthy told ESPN on Tuesday that Vaccaro's allegations against Hill remain "under review of the personal conduct policy."ESPN's Michael Rothstein contributed to this report.
