The plot thickens for Anna Nicole Smith and her estate two years after her passing from an accidental drug overdose. Documents released by the FBI under the Freedom of Information Act describe an investigation concerning the actress, model, and exotic dancer’s alleged participation in a plot to kill the son of her late wealthy husband.
Anna Nicole Smith’s acting ability was a little suspect and her fluctuations in weight made obtaining modeling gigs difficult at the outset of the new millennium. Nothing could keep her out of the media spotlight however as the public was enamored with her rise to fame as a modern, voluptuous Marilyn Monroe look alike and her highly publicized marriage to Howard Marshall, II, a Texas oil tycoon. She was 26 when she wed Marshall, who was nearly 90 at the time, and he died just 14 months later. Enjoying an extravagant lifestyle, running up credit card bills into six figures on a monthly basis according to Marshall’s office manager, Anna was met with great surprise when E. Pierce Marshall, Howard’s son, was named his sole beneficiary.
Golddigging rumors swirled around Anna, making her routine tabloid fodder, as she sued for a portion of her late husband’s estate. According to FBI records obtained by the AP, an investigation took place throughout 2000 and 2001 to determine her involvement in a murder-for-hire plot to kill E. Pierce Marshall, the son of her late husband and the main adversary in the drawn out fight over his father’s wealth, estimated to be in the hundreds of millions. The FBI ultimately decided not to charge her citing a lack of evidence.
Anna Nicole left a Will of her own, dated July 30, 2001, naming her son Daniel as the sole heir to her estate. Daniel also died of a drug overdose a few months prior to Anna and there was no mention of her daughter, Danielynn, in her will, leading to another inheritance dispute. A judge has since named Larry Birkhead, the proven biological father of Danielynn, and Howard K. Stern, Anna’s long time lawyer and companion, as co-trustees over Anna’s estate, which it has been determined will go solely to Danielynn. A final decision regarding the estate of her late husband still hangs in the balance as court battles rage on following the unanimous decision by the California Supreme Court in 2006 to allow her to continue to pursue Marshall’s fortune.
Your relationships may be far less complex, and murder or mayhem may not cloud your passing, but there is a lesson to be learned from Anna. It is much better to have a regularly updated Will and estate plan with clear delineation of how your estate should be dispersed than to leave lengthy court battles and interfamilial squabble as your final legacy.
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