No foul play, Smith jury rules
A Bahamas jury ruled Monday that Anna Nicole Smith’s son died from an accidental drug overdose, like his mother.
The seven-member jury, which deliberated for less than two hours, recommended no criminal charges in the September 2006 death of 20-year-old Daniel Smith.
The son of the former Playboy playmate died after arriving in the Bahamas to meet his new baby sister on Sept. 10, 2006.
His mother died early the next year in Florida from an accidental drug overdose at age 39.
Police had said there was no evidence of homicide, and autopsies found that Daniel died from a combination of drugs, including methadone and antidepressants. But Bahamian authorities ordered the inquest amid widespread speculation over the circumstances surrounding his death.
Neil McCabe, an attorney for Anna Nicole’s mother, Virgie Arthur, said she was disappointed in the ruling because she suspected foul play was involved.
Arthur has said previously that Anna Nicole’s boyfriend and attorney Howard K. Stern played a role in both deaths, but she did not provide evidence.
Magistrate William Campbell said the jury’s decision ended the case as far as the courts in the Bahamas were concerned.
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