Jurors of the high-profile drug trial of Anna Nicole Smith's boyfriend, lawyer Howard K. Stern, and doctors Sandeep Kapoor and Khristine Eroshevich began deliberations on Tuesday.
The defendants have pleaded not guilty after they were charged in 2009 with conspiracy and prescribing painkillers, sleeping pills, anxiety medicines and other drugs to Smith, a former Playboy model and reality star.
If convicted, they could face more than 5 years in prison. Smith died of an overdose in 2007 at age 39. Her death was deemed an accident.
Defense attorneys said Smith's drug dependency was legal because the substances were used to treat ailments such as pain and anxiety.
But CNN quoted Deputy District Attorney David Barkhurt as saying Eroshevich, who was seen in photos naked with Smith in a hot tub at her Bahamas home months before her death, wrote prescriptions to Smith to keep her "euphoric, not to treat a medical condition."
The prosecution said the doctors never said no to Smith's drug seeking because they wanted to be part of her celebrity entourage, the news service said.
Prosecutors said the doctors used fake names for Smith's medications to hide excessive prescriptions from the state's computer system. The defense said the practice is common and is used to protect the privacy of celebrities and other high-profile people.
(source:ontheredcarpet.com)
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