It has been 24 hours since DNA results made Larry Birkhead 99.9 percent certain he is the father of Anna Nicole Smith’s baby girl, Dannielynn. Birkhead was beyond ecstatic after exiting the Bahamian court and telling press, "I hate to be the one who told you this but … I told you so." He was thrilled!
"My baby's gonna be coming home pretty soon. Nothing's been determined yet but parentage, and I'm the father. It's been a long road, and I'm happy to have this behind me and to be able to start a life with my daughter," he said. Bodog.com had Birkhead as the odds on favorite to be named the father.
Birkhead won’t be able to start his life with Dannielynn so soon. Smith’s mother Virgie Arthur is planning to fight for joint custody. Birkhead said he has no intentions of sharing custody of his daughter.
"It would imply that I'm unfit as a parent, which I'm not," he said. "I'm looking forward to giving Dannielynn everything that she needs and all the love and support."
Howard K. Stern, who has been caring for Dannielynn since Smith’s death, said he will not fight for custody. Despite being upset at the results, he wants what’s best for Dannielynn. Stern will support Birkhead in gaining sole custody.
A hearing is scheduled for Friday to determine who will raise Dannielynn. Birkhead said he did not want another legal fight. "We might go from one fight to another, but I'm hoping that's not the case because, you know, there's only one dad, and I have no problem with anyone that has good intentions being allowed to visit the baby and see the baby and be a part of the baby's life," he told NBC's "Today" show this morning.
Although Larry Birkhead doesn’t want any more legal battles, his daughter stands to inherit millions from the estate of Anna Nicole Smith's late husband, J. Howard Marshall II.
Smith’s own estate remains unresolved. According to her will, Howard K. Stern was supposed to be the trustee for Daniel in the event she died. When Daniel died in September of last year, there were no provisions made for Dannielynn. Stern is the executor, but it is not clear how much Smith was worth or how much Dannielynn may inherit.
