Anna Nicole Smith has died according to ABC News

[kcvl]

Anna Nicole Smith collapsed in her hotel room at the Hard Rock Cafe and Casino in Hollywood, Fla., and was rushed to a hospital on Thursday. A Hollywood, Fla., fire department spokesman told MSNBC TV that the actress was unresponsive when the rescue unit arrived on the scene.

Sources confirmed to Access Hollywood that Smith was transported to Memorial Regional Hospital shortly after 2 p.m. EST on Thursday. Access Hollywood also is reporting that Smith was intubated at the scene.

Officials told the Miami Herald, "it does not look good."

[stlnative]

September 21, 2006 – 08:05

Coroner Position is Dissolved

An allegedly corrupt Supreme Court Judge has stripped Linda Virgill of her responsibilities as Coroner, supposedly in an effort to hide the many mysterious deaths in The Bahamas.

Chief Justice Sir Burton Hall has stripped Magistrate Linda Virgill of the exclusive designation of "coroner" and reverted to the pre-1993 practice whereby each magistrate performed the duties of coroner.

According to a Supreme Court Memorandum obtained by The Bahama Journal, which was signed by Sir Burton, the practice of designating a particular magistrate’s court as the Coroner’s Court – which began in 1993 with the appointment of Winston Saunders as coroner – has been scrapped.

"In the extraordinary cases in which it is necessary to hold an inquest, the facilities now available to accommodate a jury will be accessible to any magistrate qua coroner," Sir Burton said in the memo, dated September 18.

The chief justice did not provide a reason for his decision.

His memorandum came less than a week after Mrs. Virgill announced that she would hold an inquest into the unexplained death of 20-year-old Daniel Wayne Smith, son of American celebrity Anna Nicole Smith.

Mrs. Virgill had told reporters that she had set the inquest for October 23, but it now appears that that inquest – if it is held at all – would be heard by someone entirely different.

Chief Magistrate Roger Gomez confirmed to the Journal on Wednesday that Mrs. Virgill would not preside over an inquest into Daniel Smith’s death.

"Because of the remarks she made, she won’t be hearing (that inquest)," he said.

The chief magistrate insisted that the change was not a vote of "no confidence" in Mrs. Virgill’s abilities, pointing out that she will still be a magistrate, and still be able to hear inquests.

"She won’t be hearing that one," he admitted when asked about the Daniel Smith matter.

Chief Magistrate Gomez also denied that the change was punishment for Mrs. Virgill speaking to the press about the case. Asked whether it was injudicious of a magistrate to speak with reporters as Mrs. Virgill did, he said only that magistrates are allowed to talk to the press.

"But you have to be very careful," he said. "You may just prejudice the whole case."

The memo addressed "to all Stipendiary and Circuit Magistrates" and titled "Matters arising under the Coroner’s Act, Chapter 56," states "it is notified that with immediate effect the practice that was instituted in 1993 of designating a particular magistrates court as the Coroner’s Court will be discontinued."

In its place, Sir Burton stated that the prior practice is reinstated. Before a particular court was designated as the Coroner’s Court, each magistrate performed the duties of coroner in accordance with the provisions of Section Three of the Act.

The memo also provides that the office of the Chief Magistrate will receive all reports of completed investigations by the police into those deaths with which the Coroner’s Act is concerned, and the Chief Magistrate will assign particular matters to any magistrate.

In the Daniel Smith matter, Chief Magistrate Gomez said that an inquest might not be needed. Once the awaited toxicological reports come in, he said, they would be forwarded to the police and the Office of the Attorney General.

He said that if the Attorney General feels an inquest is called for, Attorney General Allyson Maynard-Gibson would send the file to his office to assign.

Mrs. Maynard-Gibson was not available for comment and had not returned phone calls up to press time.

Soon after Daniel Smith’s unexplained death on September 10, Mrs. Virgill fielded questions from reporters at an impromptu press conference, designating the death "suspicious," announcing that she knew the cause of death, but would await confirmation from a toxicology report, and that she would hold an inquest into Daniel’s death.

The coroner caught flak from a number of lawyers, including Michael Scott and Anthony McKinney, who represent Anna Nicole Smith and Howard K. Stern respectively, for commenting to the press at all, but particularly for dubbing the death "suspicious" and stating that she would hold an inquest into the affair.

Messrs. Scott and McKinney felt that the coroner’s announcement was premature, a position supported by Chief Magistrate Gomez.

In fact, Mr. Scott’s reaction to the coroner’s remarks was blunt.

"To the extent that she says she knows the cause of death, she’s wrong," he said, pointing out that the death certificate issued for Daniel lists the cause of death as "pending."

The coroner’s announcement was also greeted with consternation by others who have cases pending before the coroner’s court, suggesting that the Daniel Smith matter may have "jumped the line," so to speak.

The chief magistrate said that the move by Sir Burton to have all magistrates handling coroner’s duties ought to speed up the hearing of what is acknowledged to be a heavy backlog of cases.

By: Quincy Parker, The Bahama Journal

http://www.bahamasb2b.com/news/wmview.php?ArtID=9031

[Wild Irish Rogue]

" It makes me wonder if Stern does faces charges into Daniel's death will he try to pin it fully on Anna? "

You think this jobless, homeless, baby kidnapping, Botoxed, wimpy voyeur would do anything less ?
His saviors will probably be the corrupt Bahamian system , the inept US investigation and the loyalty of the leeches.
The sole punishment I foresee for Stern is having OJ as his only friend.

[windchime]

Geraldo, Fox News, is going to address the HKS funeral profit.

[stlnative]

Well if he does pin it on Anna (100%) he will be doing a total 180 when it comes to what anna wanted and how he was serving her. - Did you hear what he said at her memorial service?

[stlnative]

I'm watching it now - tourists taking pictures by her grave that is covered in wilting flowers.

[windchime]

I'll bet Steve Herrigan will be glad to get back to Iraq or Afghanistan.

[windchime]

Geraldo says that, IHO, HKS will be the father of the baby for the forseeable future.

[TexKat]

Bahamian Chief Magistrate Roger Gomez holds up the police case file on the death of Daniel Smith, son of the reality TV star Anna Nicole Smith, during the announcement that a formal inquiry has been scheduled for March 27 in Nassau, Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2007. AP

Formal inquiry set for March 27 in the Bahamas in death of Anna Nicole Smith’s 20-year-old son

By The Associated Press

January 17, 2007

A formal inquiry into the death of Anna Nicole Smith’s 20-year-old son has been scheduled for March 27 in the Bahamas, the chief magistrate said Tuesday.

The reality TV star, who gave birth to a daughter three days before Daniel Smith mysteriously died at her hospital bedside on Sept. 10, will be among the witnesses required to testify before the jury inquest, Chief Magistrate Roger Gomez said.

“It’s to try and answer all the unanswered questions that have been raised in this matter,” he told reporters. “We hope by going through this process and having lawyers cross-examine witnesses that more information would come out.”

The inquest at the coroner’s court will be open to the media, he said. A private pathologist concluded that Daniel Smith died from a lethal combination of methadone and two antidepressants. Gomez didn’t disclose the conclusions of the official pathologist or a police investigation.

Smith, 39, has said she was seeking privacy when she came to the island chain during her pregnancy. The former Playboy Playmate has remained in the Bahamas while embroiled in feuds with former boyfriends over the paternity of her daughter and ownership of her waterfront residence.

Jurors’ responsibilities will include assessing potential liability in Daniel Smith’s death, and they could recommend that prosecutors pursue criminal charges, Gomez said.

Wayne Munroe, a lawyer for Smith, said he didn’t know her opinion on the matter, but said he didn’t believe an inquest was necessary.

[windchime]

"The inquest at the coroner’s court will be open to the media, he said."

I hope Greta goes.

[sodpoodle]

Geraldo is right in the notion "for the forseable future". But just because no claim has ever been made under that Bahamian legislation (2002) does not mean it cannot or will not be heard. That's called precedent.

If the law does not apply to Birkhead - then Virgie can ask for custody on the basis that her daughter made statements to other witnesses that Howard Stern did not father that child. He would be required to prove his paternity.

Birkhead's lawyer, Opri, made reference to a "fraudulent birth certificate" and other related matters that were being filed in the Bahamas.

[windchime]

"forseeable future"

Sickening phrase in this case. Since paternity has been Opri's focus, I hope she's prepared to approach this from many angles.

[sodpoodle]

Bahamians want to know who the father is...
__________________________________________

They should be so concerned who killed Daniel!

BTW - love your tag line - since Annapolis is Capital City of MD they have politics - Big Time - but more importantly they have lots of good looking Cadets!

[TexKat]

Is Gomez aware of this:

Coroner Linda Virgill's insistence on getting to the bottom of the "suspicious" Daniel Smith death may have prompted the Bahamas government to disband the Coroner's Court completely.

http://209.85.165.104/search?q=cache:ePetBa0ujV4J:www.bahamasb2b.com/news/wmview.php%3FArtID%3D9037+coroners+court+bahamas&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=4&gl=us

or are they reinstituting the Coroner's Court.

[Jrabbit]

Perhaps the HKS groupies, inside the church, standing up and cheering when Goat attacked Vergie during his "tribute" to Vickie is what the reporter meant.

[stlnative]

Geraldo must not know about the International agreement that the Bahamas signed on to that protects children in cases like this. As a matter of suspicion I don't think the judge even knew about them until Opri presented to him in court last week. The Bahamian lawyer just said that knows of no case like this one in the history Bahamian courts.

People seem to forget that this child in not Bahamian citizen she is a US Citizen.

If you have no idea what I am speaking go back to post:
19143

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/1781543/posts?page=19143

[stlnative]

Geraldo was trying to trap him into saying something. Perper did not fall for it - Perper spinned it well and did not give anything new away.