Belcher Baby Custody Battle Gears Up

By: Hillary Crosley | Posted: January 9, 2013 at 11:32 AM

Jovan Belcher; Kasandra Perkins with daughter Zoey (Facebook)

When NFL player Jovan Belcher fatally shot his girlfriend Kasandra Perkins and then himself last year, he left behind the couple's newborn infant. Now the maternal and paternal grandparents of the little girl, Zoey, must sort out a new home for the baby, who may inherit as much as $3 million from her father, a former linebacker for the Kansas City Chiefs, reports the Daily News. Her mom's parents may have the edge, some experts say.

While Missouri is the 4-month-old's home state, her maternal grandparents have a strong claim to keep her in Texas, said lawyer Harriet Newman Cohen. "Every day the child remains in Texas, it's more of her new status quo," said Cohen, [who] has represented Gov. Cuomo and Howard Stern's ex-wife, Alison.

Jovan Belcher, a Kansas City Chiefs linebacker, killed her mom, Kasandra Perkins, before committing suicide last month. Paternal grandmother Cheryl Shepherd -- who was at the house but lives on Long Island -- let Zoey go to Texas for the mother's funeral, and hasn't heard from the maternal family since, according to court filings.

Read more at the Daily News.

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