Who is Howard K. Stern?

By Amy E. Wong

Well, after learning more facts about Anna Nicole Smith's and her son's mysterious demises, I have to admit that Stern seems like a key suspect in both Anna's and Daniel's deaths. (I want to point out that this is all just speculation and theory.) Here are some incriminating facts:

1.  As reported by TMZ, Howard Stern was interviewed by cops in regards to Daniel's death last September. They found that Daniel died after taking a combination of drugs including methadone. These drugs were prescribed under Stern's name. A witness claims that, after Daniel died, Stern flushed the remaining stash down the toilet.

2. TMZ has obtained a photo of Anna Nicole's refrigerator, which also contains a stash of methadone. This, too, was prescribed under Stern's name.

3. Just days after Anna's death, Stern brokered a deal with Entertainment Tonight, promising to provide an exclusive tell-all interview for $1 million. The interview will track Stern's flight from Florida to the Bahamas and his reunion with Dannielynn. Stern's banking big on his lover's death.
4. Check out this clip on YouTube to see Stern shedding what many are already calling "crocodile tears" over Anna's death. Supposedly, he was crying on cue, but his eyes were still dry.
5. Howard K. Stern is the executor of Anna's will, according to Entertainment Tonight. The will was written shortly before Daniel's death and Dannielynn's birth. The will lists Daniel as the sole heir, but now that he is dead, the money will go to Dannielynn.
6. Will Dannielynn Be a Billion-Dollar Baby? The case between the Marshall family and Anna Nicole Smith may drag on for months or even years. Former attorney for Smith Lenard Leeds said that the U.S. Supreme Court will probably make the final decision. In any case, Dannielynn is the sole inheritor of a whopping $88 million. Whoever is the legal guardian of Dannielynn will have control over that money.
7. Photographer Larry Birkhead has filed a paternity suit against Anna, claiming that he—not Stern—is the true father. When Anna died last Thursday, Birkhead's attorney, Debra Opri, said, "There is no known biological father at this point in time. Larry has been prevented from giving a DNA sample; Howard K. Stern has refused to give a DNA sample." Why?
8. Opri continued to say that Anna's mother, Virgie Arthur, should be Dannielynn's guardian, at least until the identity of the child's father is revealed. After all, Virgie Arthur is legally Dannielynn's next-of-kin. Stern will not stand for it. According to the New York Post, Stern said in an ET interview, "As long as I have breath in my body, that woman will not see Dannielynn."
9. In an interview with "20/20's" Deborah Roberts, Birkhead asserted that Smith and Stern never had romantic or sexual relations. Birkhead claims that Stern is exploiting the situation because he is "seeing this for an opportunity."

Again, these are the facts. Could this whole sordid ordeal have been Howard K. Stern's plan for gaining sole custody of Dannielynn—or, rather, the millions of dollars she is currently worth? Not only was Stern the drug supplier for his now-dead loved ones, but a witness said that he also tried to rid himself of the incriminating evidence by flushing drugs down the toilet.

Furthermore, Stern just seems a little too greedy. It just seems a bit wrong to me to negotiate a million-dollar deal with ET and shoot live footage for Monday night's exclusive segment within three days of the death of your loved one. And all along, Stern's tears and words have seemed a bit forced and contrived.

Now Stern is battling everyone who may gain legal custody of Dannielynn, all of whom pose threats to his own parental control. Stern has battled Larry Birkhead in the parental suit yet refuses to provide a DNA sample while still contending that he is Dannielynn's true father. Stern has also made it his mission to block Anna's estranged mother, who is the baby's only certain legal guardian, from seeing her grandchild.

Howard K. Stern is smart. He used to be Anna Nicole Smith's lawyer. And judging by the megabucks deals he's negotiating with ET, it seems that Stern is also a pretty smart businessman.

Or, I could just as easily write-off everything that I'm speculating. Anna had previously admitted to problems with substance abuse. Perhaps, Stern was supplying drugs in order to meet her constant demands and growing depression. Maybe Stern wanted ET to film his touching reunion with Dannielynn because he wants the whole world to witness his grief. And just maybe Stern has pitted himself against Anna's estranged mother because it is what Anna would've wanted. Perhaps, Stern refuses to take the DNA test because it's absolutely ludicrous to think that Anna would have multiple sex partners.

Maybe, Stern isn't smart and conniving, just naïve and hopeful. You be the judge.