Anna Nicole Smith: Fate of Body in the Hands of the Florida Court

Written by Deloris Jones

Wednesday, 14 February 2007

Earlier today, a Florida judge ordered that Anna Nicole Smith’s body cannot be released until after the paternity hearing involving Larry Birkhead and Howard K. Stern takes place next week. The Florida ruling came after a meeting with Larry Birkhead’s attorney. Birkhead does not want Smith’s body released until a decision is made in the paternity hearing. He fears that accurate DNA testing will not be possible if her remains are moved out of the state.

Later, a California judge lifted the request holding Anna Nicole Smith’s body until next week. Smith’s attorney, Ron Rale, convinced the judge that enough DNA samples were collected during the autopsy.

Broward County medical examiner Dr. Joshua Perper warned, “Any further delay might affect the integrity of the body and its aesthetic appearance following embalming."

Dr. Perper cannot release Anna Nicole’s body until a Florida Court order tells him to. The only question remaining is to whom he will be releasing the remains…Howard K. Stern or Virgie Arthur.

Attorneys for Stern have already submitted a request to the court asking them to release the body to Stern. He wants to honor Smith’s wishes and bury her in the Bahamas next to her son Daniel.

Bodog.com has posted odds on who will a court ordered paternity test reveal is the father of Anna Nicole Smith's baby Dannielynn?

Larry Birkhead: 2/3

Howard K. Stern: 10/11

Other: 6/1

"According to Anna’s wishes, it (the body) should be released to Howard Stern, not to Virgie," Ron Rale said. "No one should go about touching Anna Nicole."

Smith’s mother, Virgie Arthur, has also tried to secure the release of her daughter remains so that she can bury her in Texas.

Anna Nicole Smith’s attorney, Ron Rale, was quoted by the Associated Press saying, “I am imploring Virgie to back off on this issue to the extent she thinks she's going to obtain the body of Anna Nicole." Rale continued, "You know that certainly Virgie, the purported mother of Anna Nicole is not somebody Anna Nicole held in high esteem. We all know that Anna Nicole would not want Virgie to have control of her body."

While everyone is debating and fighting each other, Anna Nicole’s body is deteriorating in a South Florida morgue. Dr. Perper will release her remains as soon as the Florida Court decides whom they will be released to.