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Anna Nicole Smith: Howard K Stern and Virgie Arthur Testify |
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Written by Deloris Jones
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Tuesday, 20 February 2007
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 The battle over Anna Nicole Smith’s body continued today. Both Howard K. Stern and Virgie Arthur are fighting over who should get custody of Smith’s remains. Larry Birkhead’s attorneys are also involved in the hearing and are siding with Arthur.
The morning got off to a cordial start but the courtroom quickly turned chaotic after debates over the paternity issues came into play. Judge Seidlin made it clear he would like to preside over the paternity issues involving Dannielynn. "If there is no objection by the parties here today,” Judge Seidlin said, “I'm going to assume jurisdiction of the paternity matters."
Stern’s attorney, Krista Barth, strongly objected to Seidlin. Barth has had to remind Seidlin on several occasions that the hearing is to determine who should receive custody of Smith’s remains, not who the father of Dannielynn is or any other paternity issues revolving around the case.
While all the arguing was going back and forth, Krista Barth stood up and told the judge that Larry Birkhead’s attorney, Debra Opri, just told her client, Howard K. Stern, that he killed Anna Nicole Smith. Seidlin moved the deliberations into his chambers to discuss the matter without the media present.
Stern eventually took the stand around noon. He testified that Anna wanted to be buried next to her son, Daniel, in the Bahamas. He explained that she purchased two side-by-side burial plots.
"She picked out the two double plots where Daniel is resting in and where she wanted to be as well," Stern said.
Stern described how devastated Smith was after Daniel passed. "She didn't want to believe Daniel was dead," he said. "If Daniel had to be buried, she said, 'I want to be buried with him,' " Stern said.
While Howard K. Stern was testifying, Arthur’s team of lawyers were constantly objecting to his testimony claiming it was hearsay and there was no way to determine if Smith had said these things to Stern.
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
Stern also explained why he and Anna Nicole never legally married. After Daniel’s death, the medical examiner in the Bahamas ruled his death “suspicious.” Howard K. Stern was legally advised not to marry Smith at that time because it would look like he was trying to hide something. Stern had planned to legally marry Smith this week in the Bahamas.
Virgie Arthur took the stand in the late afternoon. She explained how drugs were the cause of her strained relationship with her daughter, Anna Nicole. Arthur told the court she hadn’t seen Smith since 1995 and would only talked her occasionally, every three or four months.
As the day wrapped up, Judge Seidlin asked Howard K. Stern to return tomorrow while promising to release him from court by 11 a.m. Howard agreed and said he will be there because it is important to him to follow out Anna’s intent.
Court will resume tomorrow morning at 9 a.m. Virgie Arthur will take the stand and other witnesses will be called. Judge Seidlin said after tomorrow he would like to get things wrapped up. At the rate this hearing is going we will be here until next week waiting on a verdict from Seidlin.
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 20 February 2007 )
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