ANNA NICOLE SMITH - WITNESSES SAW STERN WITH DANIEL'S PILLS

LATEST: ANNA NICOLE SMITH has been dealt another blow as she fights eviction and paternity lawsuits - two witnesses claim they believe her attorney and partner disposed of methadone pills after her son's death last September (07). Speaking on US TV news show THE INSIDER and ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT last night (07FEB07), HOWARD K STERN responded to US tabloid reports he was involved in DANIEL SMITH's overdose death - insisting he's being set up. But now developer G BEN THOMPSON and his son-in-law, FORD SHELLY, have gone public with the claims they made to the National Enquirer - stating they believe Stern flushed drugs he found in Daniel's pocket down a toilet. Thompson, a former friend and lover of Anna Nicole Smith, has fallen out with the busty blonde and her partner after accusing them of failing to pay him back for the house he helped them secure in The Bahamas last summer (06). Neither Ben nor Ford, who were at the house in The Bahamas on the day Daniel died, say they saw Stern dispose of methadone, but they're convinced something was strange about the attorney's actions after the 20 year old died from a lethal combination of methadone and anti-depression medication. Ford tells Entertainment Tonight, "Howard was going through (Daniel's jeans) and when he reached in the pocket, two white tablets fell out. I don't know what they were. "I, at the time, questioned him: `What is that? Put them back in the pocket; just leave them alone,' and Howard then went to the bathroom." Ford reveals he heard the toilet flush and he never saw the pills again, but adds, "I didn't (actually) see him flush anything down the toilet." Stern remains adamant he had nothing to do with Daniel's death, stating, "I never gave Daniel methadone, I never told anybody I gave Daniel methadone; and I never flushed methadone down the toilet."

08/02/2007 19:54