Today's Anna Nicole Smith Shockers: Lesbian Love and Poolside Drowning

Further testimony brings up the model's relationship with Dr. Khristine Eroshevich and a terrifying, drug-fueled near-death moment just after her son died

By Breanne L. Heldman, Lindsay Miller Oct 15, 2009 7:50 PMTags
Howard K Stern, Anna Nicole SmithTom Casino/Getty Images

We're only three days into the two-week preliminary hearing of Anna Nicole Smith's cohorts Howard K. Stern and Drs. Khristine Eroshevich and Sandeep Kapoor, and already, the graphic testimony regarding bedside defecation and nether-region infections have been enough to make anyone cringe.

It doesn't get any better today, folks.

Interrogating Smith's former bodyguard Maurice Brighthaupt, prosecutors brought up the alleged sexual relationship between the model and Eroshevich as proof that their acquaintance was far from strictly professional.

Judge Robert J. Perry quickly shut down that line of questioning, but he did allow a recollection of Smith unsuccessfully attempting to "float" in a pool just days after laying her son to rest.

Brighthaupt described an incident in the Bahamas about two days after her son's burial, when he saw Smith take at least at eight pills and drink chloral hydrate before going to sleep. About an hour later, she appeared in her swimsuit, stumbling toward the water, and told him she wanted to "float."

Moments later, he heard a splash, and Stern, who was on the phone nearby, shouted, "Hey! Hey! Anna's in the pool!"

Brighthaupt said by the time he dove into the deep end, Smith was at the bottom of the pool. As he pulled her to the surface, he realized she had defecated in the pool. He gave her CPR and called for medical help, though he can't recall if a doctor arrived at the scene.

"She let up some water, and then I helped her back to bed," he said.

The guard also claims that during the months following Daniel's death, he had numerous conversations with Eroshevich about their concerns over Smith's excessive drug habit. Sometimes, he claims, they even swapped her pills with placebos or flushed them down the toilet.

Stern, however, did not seem receptive to their concerns.

Stern, Eroshevich and Kapoor have pleaded not guilty nearly two dozen  drug-related felony counts.

Smith's baby daddy, Larry Birkhead, was in the (court)house, but he wasn't called. Birkhead is expected to take the stand next, most likely on Friday.

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Let's change the subject to something much, much sweeter—Fashion Spotlight: Suri Cruise!