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Daniel Smith Inquest Draws Stern, Docs

Mon., Nov. 19, 2007 6:06 PM PST by Natalie Finn

The death of Daniel Smith finally has people talking—after being debriefed and sworn in.

The inquest into the 20-year-old's sudden death on Sept. 10, 2006, began Monday in the Bahamas after being postponed three times due to procedural delays and, most recently, inclement weather.

Among the first of the 35 or so witnesses scheduled to testify during the proceedings, which will likely extend into next month, were the Bahamian emergency room doctor who treated Smith and Anna Nicole Smith's lawyer-turned-paramour Howard K. Stern, who was asked by about the apparently close-knit relationship between mother and son.

"She was very close to Danny and I saw it," Stern said during the hearing presided over by Magistrate William Campbell at the Coroner's Court at the Royal Victoria Gardens in Nassau. "Almost every time I saw Anna Nicole, she had Danny with her."

The former Playboy Playmate had given birth to daughter Dannielynn Hope only three days before Daniel was found unconscious in her room at Nassau's Doctor's Hospital.

Dr. James Iferenta, an anesthesiologist who was on duty when Daniel died, said that Anna Nicole—who those close to her said never recovered from the shock of losing her son—wouldn't let go of the young man, even when the doctors arrived at the scene.

"There was difficulty getting her out of the room," Iferenta testified. "She clung to Smith during my time in the room."

Stern also described going to identify Daniel's body in the morgue, but Attorney General's Office attorney Neil Brathwaite, who handled the questioning, didn't ask him about any events leading up to Daniel's death. Brathwaite said, however, that Stern could possibly be recalled as a witness.

Also Monday, an immigration department official described Daniel's behavior upon his arrival at Nassau's Lynden Pindling International Airport the night before he died, and a criminal records officer entered autopsy photos into evidence.

An autopsy conducted last year by Dr. Cyril Wecht, a private pathologist hired by Anna Nicole who is on the list of possible witnesses, determined that Daniel died of a lethal combination of methadone, antidepressants and sleep aids, but the Bahamian government hasn't yet formally recognized Wecht's findings.

Bahamian authorities have said that they do not suspect foul play and are holding these proceedings to determine what killed Daniel once and for all, but the inquest jury can recommend that charges be filed depending on what comes out during the hearing.

The inquest was originally supposed to begin a year ago but was postponed when the original magistrate on the case was replaced by Robert Gomez. Then, things were almost underway again in March when Stern's lawyers protested the makeup of the jury after they were barred from asking questions during the selection process.

Hurricane Noel then interfered with an Oct. 30 start date and the inquest, now with Campbell presiding, was pushed to Nov. 19. Testimony is scheduled to resume Tuesday.