Judge: Baby's guardian gets Smith's body
By MATT SEDENSKY, Associated Press Writer
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - Blubbering as he announced his ruling, a judge said Thursday he hopes Anna Nicole Smith will be buried in the Bahamas, but he left the decision up to the guardian of her baby daughter.
Circuit Judge Larry Seidlin steered a surprise middle course in the dispute, which became more urgent by the day when the medical examiner warned that the centerfold's body was rapidly decomposing from her death two weeks ago.
Smith's estranged mother wanted her buried in her native Texas, while Smith's boyfriend wanted her laid to rest in the Bahamas.
The judge compromised and gave custody to attorney Richard Milstein, the guardian for Smith's 5-month-old daughter, Dannielynn.
It wasn't immediately clear what Milstein would do, but the judge expressed his own preference: "I want her to be buried with her son in the Bahamas. I want them to be together."
The judge choked up frequently and wept as he explained his decision.
Smith died Feb. 8 in a Florida hotel of unknown causes. The dispute over the burial was one of many surrounding Smith. Her boyfriend, Howard K. Stern, is listed as Dannielynn's father on the child's birth certificate, but Smith's ex-boyfriend, Larry Birkhead, said the girl was his. A California judge is handling the paternity case.
Stern had been hunched over a table with his hands folded as he awaited Seidlin's ruling. He wiped away tears after the decision. Arthur covered her eyes.
Milstein works for the Miami office of the Akerman Senterfitt law firm. He has 30 years of experience and specializes in guardianship, probate and mediation, according to the firm's Web site.
He did not immediately respond to an e-mail seeking comment from The Associated Press.
