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The long-awaited inquest in the Bahamas into the death of the son of former Playboy Playmate Anna Nicole Smith will begin on October 30, and could last two months, a senior judge in the Bahamas said on Monday. Bahamas Chief Magistrate Roger Gomez said at least 35 witnesses were expected to give evidence, including Smith's longtime lawyer and companion, Howard K. Stern. The inquest would be conducted by Magistrate William Campbell, he added. Smith's son, Daniel, 20, died at Doctors Hospital, Nassau, on September 10 last year, just three days after his mother gave birth to a daughter, Dannielynn. A private autopsy found he had a cocktail of drugs in his bloodstream. An official inquest by Bahamian authorities has been repeatedly postponed. Smith, a former topless dancer once married to late billionaire oil tycoon J. Howard Marshall, died in Florida last February of an accidental prescription drug overdose and is buried alongside her son at Lakeview Cemetery in Nassau. Her death touched off a battle for custody of her daughter, Dannielynn, who could one day inherit a fortune if her late mother's estate wins the right to inherit some of Marshall's millions. Los Angeles photographer Larry Birkhead eventually won custody.
The long-awaited inquest in the Bahamas into the death of the son of former Playboy Playmate Anna Nicole Smith will begin on October 30, and could last two months, a senior judge in the Bahamas said on Monday. Bahamas Chief Magistrate Roger Gomez said at least 35 witnesses were expected to give evidence, including Smith's longtime lawyer and companion, Howard K. Stern. The inquest would be conducted by Magistrate William Campbell, he added. Smith's son, Daniel, 20, died at Doctors Hospital, Nassau, on September 10 last year, just three days after his mother gave birth to a daughter, Dannielynn. A private autopsy found he had a cocktail of drugs in his bloodstream. An official inquest by Bahamian authorities has been repeatedly postponed. Smith, a former topless dancer once married to late billionaire oil tycoon J. Howard Marshall, died in Florida last February of an accidental prescription drug overdose and is buried alongside her son at Lakeview Cemetery in Nassau. Her death touched off a battle for custody of her daughter, Dannielynn, who could one day inherit a fortune if her late mother's estate wins the right to inherit some of Marshall's millions. Los Angeles photographer Larry Birkhead eventually won custody.
Comments
I do hope the media stays at bay to keep Howard from using the media as an excuse again.
In Remembrance: Daniel Wayne Smith
It's about time!!!!
Justice for Daniel is long over due.
Finally! Let's get this show on the road! No matter flat tires or dead batteries or lost car keys...
4:18 PM
LOL...LOL...LOL...TOO Funny...THINK they'll get it right?? I want to know about this NEW MAGISTRATE and his polital connections...LOTS of corruption down there, too. Gotta know WHO he IS??
The longer the wait the worse it gets for HKS and LB, and the more determined we become. After a series of interesting" trials starting with Manson and then OJ and Scott Petersen, we have learned to do our research well. We are armed with info this time!
From the movie,, Don Quoxite, "Does not matter whether the pitcher hits the rock or the rock hits the pitcher, it is going to be bad for the pitcher." Pitcher=water vase, jug...
Thank You James
Think HKS will "fake" an illness to try to avoid a 2 month long inquest? I would hope they would travel to the hospital to interview him. I don't have that list any more. Is Dr. E or Ray Martino on it? Love to get Dr. E on the stand... low life!
It was suggested many months ago on the Judge site a speculation of HKS being related to Dr. E. More I think on it the more I do believe it. Why else did she go to the Bs to be with HKS during the week of DLs BD? Find it strange SHE did not put flowers on the grave of DWS... after all, she did counsel him (supposedly) right before he flew out...and, he was the son of her friend, her neighbor. Oh. Yeah. She kind of forgot to put flowers on ANS grave too, didn't she?
9/24/07
Daniel Smith Inquest Scheduled For Oct. 30
By Quincy Parker
A starting date has once again been given for the inquest into the sudden death of model/actress the late Anna Nicole Smith’s son, Daniel, but based on the fact that October 30 is the third date given for this inquest to officially "begin," it remains to be seen what will happen.
The late Daniel Smith in this file photo with his mother, the late Anna Nicole Smith.
Daniel Wayne Smith, 20, died at Doctors Hospital on September 10, 2006, while visiting his mother – by then a permanent resident of The Bahamas – and her newborn daughter and Daniel’s half-sister, Dannielynn.
An independent autopsy, conducted by celebrity forensic pathologist Dr. Cyril Wecht, found that Daniel died from a drug cocktail made up of two different prescription anti-depressants and methadone, a drug used to wean heroin addicts.
Swirling questions and insinuations in the media began almost immediately after the young man’s death, and despite then-Chief Coroner Linda Virgill’s attempt to have a swift inquest the Office of the Attorney General waffled on the decision about whether an inquest was warranted.
Thus the first date given for Daniel Smith’s inquest – October 23, 2006 – came and went with officials from the judiciary, including Chief Magistrate Roger Gomez, and senior members of the Bahamas Bar openly questioning Mrs. Virgill’s decision.
It was even alleged that the Daniel Smith inquest was "jumping the line" over other inquests that had been pending before the young man died, and because she spoke openly to the press about the case, Mrs. Virgill was stripped of the designation of Chief Coroner, a post that had existed since 1993.
The Chief Justice determined that practice should revert to the pre-1993 procedure, where every magistrate in the pool acted as a coroner as necessary.
The Journal understands that it is an unspoken policy that in deaths of tourists or visitors, the inquest process is sped up to mitigate negative press generated by perceived delays.
The second date given for the inquest to begin was March 27, 2007. According to Chief Magistrate Gomez, the reason the inquest was called for was "to answer all the questions once and for all."
The inquest did indeed start on that day, with a full complement of local and international press crowding the small room designated as Coroners Court in Royal Victoria Gardens, but it ground quickly to a halt as the jury selection process was challenged by lawyers representing Ms. Smith’s lawyer and long time companion Howard K. Stern.
Mr. Stern, concerned that he had been – according to his lawyers – "painted as the villain" in the whole affair, wanted to be allowed to question the jurors to determine their impartiality.
It became apparent from a reading of the Coroners Act that this was impossible, and that the Coroner himself (in this case, Chief Magistrate Gomez) had no leeway in the law to even allow the questioning, if he was so inclined.
The matter was taken to the Supreme Court after the seven-woman coroners’ jury was empanelled, and there the process underwent further contortions.
Supreme Court Justice John Lyons noted that because Chief Magistrate Gomez had spoken openly with the press about the inquest, he should not be allowed to hear the matter.
Among other regular interviews with the media about the case, Chief Magistrate Gomez gave an on-camera interview to an American television host inside the Coroners Court, which was shown over the Fox News Channel’s primetime show "On The Record, with Greta van Susteren."
Justice Lyons decided that another magistrate should hear the matter, and that this magistrate should also deal with the issue of questioning the jury.
So when Magistrate William Campbell, who served as Chief Coroner before Magistrate Virgill, hears the matter on October 30, he will have to face the very same question that threw up a roadblock for Chief Magistrate Gomez on in March.
There are 40 witnesses on the witness list for the inquest. The main witness was to have been Ms. Smith, but following her death Mr. Stern became the next witness with the most interaction with Daniel before he died.
Larry Birkhead – Dannielynn’s father – has asked to testify. Also on the witness list are South Carolina real estate mogul G. Ben Thompson and Ford Shelley – the father and son-in-law pair who claim to have lent Ms. Smith the money for the million-dollar Eastern Road mansion she shared with Dannielynn and Mr. Stern.
********************************************************************this is todays bahama journal article 9/25/07
The Bahamas need to stay with their original facts of 10X and not get involved with Florida unless, of course, they are involved along with the outside presence of the FBI as we already know about Dr. Perper's infamous over involvement with Eroshevich, Stern, and the other key players. Her death room should have been treated as a crime scene from the beginning and, yet, he built a "story" around what all those liars told him....they all should have been placed under oath!
Howie and Larry, all the money you lust for will be for naught. You have to pay for the lawsuits against you.
GO RITA!!!!!
GO VIRGIE!!!
GO JAMES!!!!
http://news.bahamianyellowpages.com/bahama...-news-headlines
Lyons said that the magistrate who will replace Gomez in the case will rule on whether to allow the questionnaire. The magistrate has not yet been named.
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/07/16/...e-Smith-Son.php
very little info available on him.
According to the latest from the Supreme court ruling in this case.
SPAFS- So glad to hear from you m today!
BECAUSE of the ACT/LAW, AND the Supreme Court HELD up the LAW , said go as NORMAL...HOW can the NEW one ALLOW IT...???? HMM????
Michel Bryant, from Court tv, said Wecth WASN'T on the OLD Witness List...BUT he IS on the NEW ONE???
We are going to have to keep a CLOSE EYE on this, IMO...JUSTICE FOR DANIEL!!!
"it became apparent from a reading of the Coroners Act that this was impossible, and that the Coroner himself (in this case, Chief Magistrate Gomez) had no leeway in the law to even allow the questioning, if he was so inclined."
http://news.bahamianyellowpages.com/bahama...-news-headlines
THIS is what I MEAN...GOOGLE STEPHEN LYONS, Supreme Court Justice in Bahamas...SOME interesting stuff...Try B2b Site....