Anna Nicole's Last Moments Relived in Court
Star's final days filled with confusion, illness
By CAITLIN MILLAT
Updated 6:15 PM EST, Tue, Oct 13, 2009
Experts, friends and loved ones of Anna Nicole Smith's recounted the fallen star's final days in front of a courtroom Tuesday, speaking as two of Smith's doctors and her lawyer boyfriend stood trial for helping her illegally obtain the drugs that killed her.
Smith's last days were marked by confusion, physical and mental illness and depression, investigators told the courtroom as Dr. Sandeep Kapoor, Dr. Khristine Eroshevich and Howard K. Stern faced charges of conspiring to illegally provide substances to Smith, who died of a drug overdose at age 39.
The celebrity model turned reality star was so physically ill in the days before her death she couldn't stand up straight and had to be supported by Stern as she walked, California Department of Justice investigator Danny Santiago testified Tuesday.
"He was holding her as they walked through the lobby," Santiago said, recounting a detective's witness account of Stern holding Smith upright.
"He said she wasn't her usual vivacious self. She seemed down and possibly ill," Santiago said. Smith was "so weak she could not sit up to drink liquids," Santiago said he was told.
Santiago also said Stern had informed investigators he gave Smith Pedialyte in a baby bottle to replenish her electrolytes -- and that Smith was so confused as he fed her that she asked where her baby was. Her daughter, Dannielynn, was in the Bahamas during Smith's trip to Florida.
The investigator identified the prescription drugs found in the hotel room where Smith was found dead, speaking as prosecutors showed the court pictures of hundreds of pills.
Smith's final moments were also put on display in the courtroom, as Santiago testified Smith's nurse Tasma Brighthaupt didn't notice Smith's lips were blue until a third party arrived and noticed it.
Brighthaupt thought Smith was sleeping, Santiago said.
Stern is facing 11 counts in the complaint, while both of Smith's doctors are facing six counts apiece. Kapoor and Eroshevich are each facing up to five years, eight months in prison, while Stern's sentence is still unclear.
Copyright Associated Press / NBC Connecticut
First Published: Oct 13, 2009 4:52 PM EST
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