Birkhead testifies that Smith was taking too many drugs

Late Playboy model Anna Nicole Smith’s ex-boyfriend Larry Birkhead, who was also her daughter’s father has reported that he saw her taking too many prescription drugs including Methadone and Valium, even while she was pregnant with their daughter, Danielynn.

He took the witness stand on Friday and testified during a preliminary hearing held to decide the fate of three people who were supplying Smith with drugs.

The testimony
He testified by saying, "I felt she took medication in excess. I felt like she was addicted to methadone."

Smith’s general physician Sandeep Kapoor and Khristine Eroshevich, along with her lawyer, Howard K. Stern are standing on trial for letting her have too many prescription drugs. The overdose of the same led to her death in a Florida hotel.

Birkhead said that he has seen bottles of Methadone in her house.

Birkhead claim to fame was the custody battle with Smith over their daughter. Smith’s lawyer, who was also her boyfriend had claimed that the daughter was his, but Birkhead had proven otherwise by providing DNA evidence.

Bodyguard’s testimony
All the three defendants have pleaded not guilty. Stern, the lawyer-boyfriend has said that he was a devoted companion, and even went through a “commitment ceremony” with Smith, five months before her death. He was also there with her when Smith lost her only son Daniel.

The claim has been testified by witness Maurice Brighthaupt, Smith’s former body guard, who said that he was on the boat when it happened. "It was a unification through the eyes of God is how they put it," Brighthaupt said.

Brighthaupt has testified against the two doctors and Stern, saying that he had seen them injecting Smith with medication, when she was dealing with the death of her son who was twenty. Smith was clearly having coping issues which led to her dependence on drugs.

Stern’s lawyer, Steve Shadow has said that the body guard’s claims are false and untrue, and shown that Brighthaupt had been giving different accounts to separate cable TV channels, and was asking to be given $150,000 for his interviews.

Shadow had indicated outside the courtroom that he was optimistic about Birkhead’s testimony. "I think Larry's going to do his best to tell the truth," said Sadow. "If he does, he'll be very helpful to Howard."

Brightaupt had revealed under scrutiny by Shadow that all the things he had said in his TV interviews were lies to protect Smith’s reputation.