Jury in Smith case asks question, ends day

A jury deliberating in the Anna Nicole Smith drug conspiracy trial has sent a question to the court and ended its second day of talks without getting an answer.

Jurors asked Wednesday about the language in two charges against defendant Howard K. Stern and whether they must consider those charges separately against each of the three defendants.

A hearing was scheduled Thursday for attorneys to argue about how a judge should answer the query.

The six women and six men must decide whether Stern, and Drs. Sandeep Kapoor and Khristine Eroshevich provided excessive opiates and sedatives to the former Playboy model while knowing she was an addict.

Defense lawyers said Smith was not an addict and the medications were for pain.