The ex-girlfriend of Reuben Foster admits to lying about the domestic violence and attempts to ruin the San Francisco 49ers linebacker's career. She also admitted to being previously arrested for accusing a former boyfriend of domestic violence.
Elissa Ennis, the ex-girlfriend of San Francisco 49ers linebacker Reuben Foster, testified on Thursday morning at the Santa Clara County Superior Court. At times during the testimony, she had tears rolling down her face. Ennis' attorney, Stephanie Rickard, stated on the record that she advised her not to testify but to plead the Fifth Amendment instead.
"I was lying about a lot of stuff," Ennis said.
Foster, sitting next to his attorney, Joshua Bentley, watched as her testimony damaged the Santa Clara DA's potential case against him. Ennis stated she wanted to ruin Foster for attempting to end his relationship with her following an incident that eventually led to the linebacker's arrest three months ago.
"I told him, 'I'm going to f--k your s--t up,'" Ennis said.
Shockingly, Ennis admitted that this is not the first time she has been in a similar situation. She testified that in 2011, she went to jail for falsely accusing her then-boyfriend of domestic violence after he broke up with her.
Ennis struggled to recall the details of what she told police following the February 11 incident, which formed the basis of the criminal charges against Foster. "I don't recall," was a consistent answer from her when asked about the accusations she made to responding authorities.
"I wanted to sue Reuben," Ennis said. "It was all a money scheme."
"Did Mr. Foster ever hit you?" Bentley asked her.
"No sir," Ennis responded. "I'm sorry. I really am. I apologize to everybody."
She denied being paid to recant her initial story. Ennis admitted to taking money, jewelry – including two Rolex watches – and designer clothing from Foster's residence before flying home to Louisiana after the linebacker's arrest. She has returned the money to Foster but says she still has the jewelry.
The motorist, Eugenio Pirir, who she flagged down that day to call 911 testified that Ennis was calm and was not panicking when he encountered her. She simply asked to use his cell phone.
Foster had already admitted to destroying two of Ennis' cell phones. One was on February 11 as she attempted to call 911. The other was an iPhone, which was destroyed the night before because Foster suspected Ennis was using it to record him secretly.
"My boyfriend, he beat me up," said Ennis during one of two 911 calls from February 11, which were played in the courtroom on Thursday. She seemed frantic during one while sounding calm on the other.
As part of her initial statement, Ennis told police that the argument began on the night of February 10, and Foster threw her dog across the room. On Thursday, she said that too was a lie.
RELATED Judge delays decision in Reuben Foster case until May 23
"Why would you lie about that?" Bentley asked.
"I was pissed, and I wanted to end him," she answered.
Ennis went on to state that she didn't believe the situation would escalate to the level that it did. "I wanted to sue him on my own," she admitted.
The prosecutor, Kevin Smith, asked Ennis if she still loves Foster.
"I don't love him," she answered. "I need help for myself."
Ennis went on to state that she plans to check herself into an unspecified clinic to get that help. That was the end of her nearly two hours of testimony. She left the courtroom in tears with her attorney and did not speak to reporters.
NEW: Reuben Foster arrives at San Jose courtroom for preliminary hearing on domestic-violence charges. Judge will determine whether there is enough evidence, with a recanting accuser, to proceed with a trial that would start no later than July 9@mercnews @49ers pic.twitter.com/ZEnB9QwTBs
— Robert Salonga (@robertsalonga) May 17, 2018
Ennis' initial accusations included Foster hitting her several times, which she said were the cause of her bruises and ruptured eardrum. The 49ers linebacker was arrested on February 11 as a result of the incident. He was charged with domestic violence with an allegation that he inflicted great bodily injury, forcefully attempting to prevent a victim from reporting a crime, and possession of an assault weapon.
Foster met with the 49ers, which included general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan, the day after the incident and the team decided not to take action, which caused public scrutiny. Instead, the 49ers decided to let the legal matter progress before determining Foster's fate. However, both Lynch and CEO Jed York made it clear that if it were revealed Foster struck Ennis, he would no longer be part of the organization.
"I do want to be abundantly clear that if these charges are proven true, if Reuben did indeed hit this young lady, he won't be a part of our organization going forward," Lynch said on April 23. "That's the standard we want on our team. That's the standard we're going to operate under."
"His time with the 49ers can potentially be over if he continues to do things outside the team that aren't what we want him to be a part of," York said on March 28.
After her initial statement to responding sheriff's deputies and Los Gatos police, Ennis recanted her story on April 25, claiming that her injuries were the result of a physical fight with two women and not with Foster. Ennis stated that Foster attempted to end his relationship with her following the altercation. She also claimed to have video evidence that would clear Foster's name of the domestic violence charges. That evidence reportedly ended up on Instagram.
"The video is believed to show Ennis, following a road rage-type incident in or near San Francisco, fighting with a woman," reported the Sacramento Bee. "Blows are exchanged in the video and the unidentified woman appears to grab Ennis' left ear, which was the one that was ruptured."
It was the new video evidence that delayed the original plea hearing date from April 30 to May 8.
"She was extremely upset and told him if he broke up with her she would 'trash his career,'" read the statement issued by Ennis' lawyer on her behalf.
Foster, who the 49ers drafted in the first round last year, finished last season with the team's highest player grade (90.7), according to Pro Football Focus. He was the highest-graded rookie linebacker last season and the fourth highest-graded linebacker overall. Foster started 10 games in 2017 while registering 72 combined tackles with a pass defensed.
The February 11 arrest was Foster's second of the offseason. He was arrested in Alabama on January 12 and charged with second-degree possession of marijuana.
* Sources for quotes and accounts from Thursday's testimony are available via links within this article.