Celebrity Justice? Dismissal In Anna Nicole Smith Case Insults America’s Jury System

[Geee]

Big Hollywood:

The criminal trial of Howard K. Stern in the events connected to the death of former Playboy model Anna Nicole Smith took a surprising twist Thursday. Stern, Smith’s former lover and lawyer, walked out of a Los Angeles courtroom essentially scott free. Smith’s psychiatrist, Dr. Khristine Eroshevich, received $100 in fines, a reduction from a felony to a misdemeanor charge, and one year of unsupervised probation. Stern walked out of court and immediately spoke with media – blaming the prosecution for being dishonest.
After a two month long trial and 13 days of deliberation, the jury found Stern guilty on two felony counts. Both counts involved conspiracy charges of acting fraudulently to obtain prescriptions and using false names to acquire medication for Smith. Eroshevich was similarly charged with conspiracy as well as aiding to furnish sedatives and opiates to an addict.

While this may be a good day for Stern, this sentencing is a slap in the face to the jury who spent a grueling two weeks deliberating in order to reach a fair, thoughtful verdict. Judge Robert Perry acted unusually throughout the proceedings. He claims there is not enough evidence proving Stern intended to break the law. That excuse doesn’t even work for speeders on a long stretch of rural road, it certainly shouldn’t work for a man who admitted to falsifying names in order to get his girlfriend drugs that ultimately killed her. This is truly a disappointment for justice.