Anna Nicole Smith – Finally!

Or, maybe not…..

Only hours before the funeral was to take place Virgie Arthur made a last ditch effort to stop the ceremony and gain custody of the remains. The Bahamian court denied the motion. Virgie arrived unfashionably late for the services amidst boo’s and jeer’s from the many onlookers that had gathered outside the church.

One can only wonder what the true motives are for this bizarre, macabre drama that has been unfolding since the young woman’s death. We know money is the basis for much of it and we know many of the players, but the inter-workings of this story would even confuse William Shakespeare.


Anna Nicole Smith has always been an interesting character, but her body of work was in essence her body. Her career is not comparable to many other celebrities that have died prematurely. For example, Elvis Presley actually changed American music and left behind a following that is unmatched by any other celebrity. To my knowledge, he is the only good ol’ southern boy that has been buried in his back yard and went on to make more money in death than he ever did while living. Virgie is not going to be able to pull off similar results with an Anna sideshow in Texas.


As if the cast of characters were not already strange enough, enters Billy Wayne Smith the biological “father” of young Daniel. Before the first shovel of dirt could be cast down upon Anna’s casket, Billy Wayne came out of no where with a request to exhume Daniel’s body and have it sent to Texas. The little details seemed to get lost along the way and Billy Wayne decided to take his shot at cashing in on this media event.

Doesn’t seem to matter that Billy Wayne never contributed a dime to young Daniel’s upbringing, that he last saw the kid back in 1988 and last spoke to him in 1999. Not exactly "Father-of-the-Year" material, but the real kicker is that he testified via telephone in Judge Larry’s court that he had no desire to disturb Daniel’s body and thought Anna should be laid to rest next to him in the Bahamas.

Such a change of heart has led to speculation that Virgie (or her lawyer) had recruited Mr. Smith in an effort to undermine the court’s opinion that Anna Nicole should be buried next to her son.

What is really behind this freak show?

John M. O’Quinn is a personal injury lawyer that boasts of not losing a case in over a decade and is reportedly the highest paid lawyer in Texas. His career is not without controversy, but that has not stopped his frequent trips to the bank to make astronomical bank deposits. Just why would Mr. O’Quinn involve himself in what would normally be a case decided in a family court?

Could it be the estate of J Howard Marshall, which hangs in limbo in the Lone Star State?

There has to be a reason Virgie wants Anna’s body in Texas and it goes beyond motherly love. Not being a lawyer I do not know the intricacies of probate law, but my gut feeling is that jurisdictional issues are at play here. If Virgie is declared the legal guardian of little Dannielynn, has possession of Anna’s remains and those of Daniel, she would in effect have all the marbles. O’Quinn could then open Anna’s estate on her behalf and go after the half-billion dollars sitting in the Marshall vaults. O’Quinn would also have home-court advantage in Texas and that would increase his leverage exponentially.

Act III is a long time coming and there will be many plot twist along the way. In no time, DannieLynn will be 21, sitting in court and going after Marshall’s money.