Drugs, Cash Were in Anna Nicole Smith's Death Room

By PopEater / Wire Services Posted Aug 6th 2010 07:43AM

Drug bottles, a duffel bag full of cash and Anna Nicole Smith's sobbing boyfriend were found in the Florida hotel room where the Playboy model died of an overdose three years ago, a police detective testified Thursday.

Detective Katherine Frank was the first witness to take the stand in the trial of Smith's lawyer-boyfriend, Howard K. Stern, and two doctors who have pleaded not guilty to conspiring to supply the model with vast amounts of powerful opiates and sedatives.

Smith, 39, was found dead in the Hollywood, Fla., room in February 2007.

Frank testified that shortly after her body was found and taken away, Stern fell to his knees in the room and began crying.

"He was visibly shaken with reddened eyes, tears and trembling," Frank said.

The account was elicited by Stern's lawyer, Steve Sadow, who has said Stern was in love with Smith and all his actions were directed at trying to help her.

The detective said a duffel bag found in the room at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel contained more than $8,000 in cash.

Smith's bodyguard Maurice Brighthaupt told police he was owed the money and demanded they hand it over, but they refused, Frank testified.

Brighthaupt was expected to testify Friday.

Under prosecution questioning, pharmacist Olga Kopetman identified multiple prescriptions written by defendant Dr. Khristine Eroshevich, a psychiatrist, to Anna Nicole Smith, Vicky Marshall, which is Smith's real name, and three other names, including Stearn, a misspelling of Stern, from 2003 to 2006. They were filled at a pharmacy in Studio City.

Some were for the painkiller Vicodin and anti-anxiety drugs Xanax and Zoloft. Others were for sleep and anti-seizure medications, the pharmacist said.

Stern paid for the drugs, Kopetman testified, with one bill totaling $4,474.

Kopetman and another pharmacist, Emma Avakian, testified that Stern frequently picked up drugs prescribed by Eroshovich, and that they never saw Anna Nicole Smith pick up her own prescriptions, which often included large quantities of drugs with refills available.

Avakian said one prescription for Valium provided 240 pills and was refilled after just three weeks.

Avakian said she was concerned about the amount of narcotics because "a patient can overdose and too much of it can kill them."

On cross-examination, Sadow asked if a patient taking many of the drugs over a long period would build a tolerance. Kopetman said that was possible, and the patient would have to receive larger doses for the drugs to be effective.

Superior Court Judge Robert Perry has said Smith's cause of death is not an issue in the trial of Stern, Eroshevich and Dr. Sandeep Kapoor. The defendants are not accused of causing Smith's death.

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Tags: Anna Nicole Smith

Comments

(48)

Friday 06 August

By Rich

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Please ! enough is enough already. How many of these "real housewives of _ _ _" must we endure already. everytime a new show previews and these dumb a_s women immediately spend 20 million bucks on a house and then file for bankruptcy because they think their shows will be a big hit but hit rock bottom instead. How many " Snookies " must we be subjected to and how many "reality" shows ? Now it gets even worse (child porn) with Miley Cyrus and the youngest Jenner Girl and Mick Jagger"s kid (there's so many I can't even keep up with their names), so please enough's enough

By Jeannie

As long as the media & viewers find the reality shows smart, cheap, easy & fun, they'll keep tuning in.

By Me

But what else is there to watch? My pay movie channels only show crap, the network shows suck, and I agree "reality" is getting old. Maybe I will have to turn it off and read a book!

By darrell

If people would stop watching these shows, they would do better programing.

By WILL

HOWARD K STERN IS A BOTTOM FEEDER HE KEPT HER DRUGGED UP ALL THE TIME SO SHE WOULDNT CARE THAT HE IS A TOTAL LOSER , A PARASITE , SEND HIM TO PRISON

By Emma

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Sure Will. Like you knew them and just KNOW what really happenned. i can't stand people like you who think they know all the facts.

Saturday 07 August

By wingzz

If you've ever had a loved one who was so addicted and so demanding then you might understand. It's impossible to make them quit, and if it's not you caring for them then they will go lower and lower looking for help. It is so hard to watch your loved one go through addiction then withdrawals are so bad just a few more pills will help. It's an overwhelming and painful thing to go through. And it wasn't just Stern, she had people all over the place trying to feed her pain. So sad, yet not an unusual story. It happens daily to ordinary families.

Friday 13 August

By bikpet

OffCourse he did

By raven

According to Larry Birkheads testimony at the Daniel Smiths Inquest, " Anna gave her son ecstasy and methadone because she would prefer that he do drugs in her presence instead of running around experimenting with his friends." She was directly responsible for Daniels death. She chose life of sin and debauchery. She made her own choices, NOBODY told her what to do. She was a selfish user who only loved money and fame.

By cheryl

i have to admit that i feel the same way about Anna. Sad to say...some people prefer to live a debauched life thinking it's a fun way to live. But, that kind of life will catch up with you real quick and next thing you know you are sick, or dieing. So, for all of you out there....if you want to live like her.....then plan on getting in as much fun as you can in the little bit of time you can do it in.
Want to live a life of some "inner peace"....do that and you can live a ripe old age.

By BTDT

He killed her and her son.

we know

By Jack

Sean Penn just needs to be quiet & go away!

By trucker42904

WHO EVER SEAN PENN IS AGAINST ,I AM FOR. I HOPE HE WINS, AND PENN AND GO CRY TO HUGO CHAUZES BOTH ARE HOMOS.

By PAMELA

NOBODY MADED ANNA TAKE THEM. SHE DONE JUST WHAT SHE WANTED TO DO.SHE WAS A GROWN WOMAN.IF SHE DIDNT WONT TO TAKE ALL OF THEM PILL'S. ANNA COULD HAVE GOTTEN RID OF THEM ALL.NOBODY CAN BLAIM NOBODY FOR HER TAKING ALL OF THOSE PILL'S BUT HER SELF.SHE NEEDED TO GET NEW FRIEND'S AND PUT THE OLD ONE'S OUT.EVERYBODY WAS ONLY LOOKING AT THE MONEY'S SIDE OF ALL THIS.THAT INCLUDED LARRY BURCKHEAD ALSO.I JUST FEEL SORRY FOR DANNILYNN. WHO WILL HAVE TO FACE EVERYTHING HER MOTHER DONE UNTIL HER MOTHER'S DEATH.

By fun4rae

Oh my! If you had only gone to school longer and paid attention there instead of to something you know nothing about.

By irvinghotshot

I took a very keen concerned interest in the Anna Nicole Smith case as it unfolded. It's clear to me that because she was the heir to a vast fortune, she was in effect kidnapped and murdered. Her son was a witness to the evil plot, so they offed him first. Then her.
Sean Penn is a prime example of Ersatz Hollywood - the new, "improved" fake Hollywood. All the great Hollywood actors began bailing out as early as the 1950s, leaving the Penns and the Robbinses and the Sarandons behind. Today's "actors" are like little kids dressing up in Mommy's clothes, thinking they're grown up "big people." The public, now mis-educated to third grade level, follows along like a pet poodle. Then, they vote like that.

Wednesday 11 August

By valentino1

what the HE LL are you talking about?? your kidnapping theory is KA-razy, and somehow sean penn, tim robbins and susan sarandon are bad actors, responsible for the american voting public, AND mixed up in smith's death?

newsflash: anna nicole and son were drug addicts; if you'd ever studied the art of acting you'd know that penn, robbins and sarandon are three of the best actors of their generation regardless of their political leanings; and anyone idiotic enough to vote for someone because a celebrity endorses them deserves what they get.

btw: i have a 19th grade education

By Umm...hello

I am totally shocked that DRUGS and MONEY were found in Anna Nicole Smith's room on the day she died...sarcasm over

They call it News because it is NEW info, not four years old.

By Pamela

First of all, just to correct PopEater, regarding the types of meds
that Anna Nicole Smith were taking, Zoloft is NOT an anti-anxiety medication, like Xanax is. Xanax is a Benzodiazapine, while Zoloft is an anti-depressant. It's hard to believe that Smith could ingest
240 Valium (which again is in the Benzodiazipine group) and 3 weeks
later need to get another refill! It's no wonder she died, but what
befuddles me even more is that she didn't die sooner. I apologize for saying this, but she was taking so much medication I wonder how
she was able to get out of bed! That much medication could kill a horse, much less, make a human very sick. But then again, Anna must
have had a very high tolerance to all of these meds. It's a shame she had to die, along with her son, Daniel.

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