The coroner’s inquest into the death of Anna Nicole Smith’s son got off to a slow, secret start yesterday, with lawyers and a judge meeting all day behind closed doors.
The parties are expected to conference privately again today before meeting in open court tomorrow when they might pick a jury. A panel of seven Bahamians will eventually rule on the cause of Daniel Smith’s death Sept. 10 in his mom’s Nassau hospital room.
Ex-Playmate Anna Nicole had just given birth to a girl, prompting Daniel, 20, to fly in from Los Angeles to visit his mom and newborn half-sister, Dannielynn.
Former Smith boyfriend Larry Birkhead, who claims to be Dannielynn’s father, came to court yesterday offering to testify.
“If it helps, it helps. If not, I’ll be on a plane,” Birkhead said.
The jury’s ruling will have no immediate impact, but local prosecutors could use evidence presented at the inquest to build their own case.
Anna Nicole died last month in Florida from a bad combination of sleep medication and painkillers. The death was ruled an accident Monday.
Daddy clearest / TV