Custody Battle Begins Over Belcher's Orphaned Daughter

Jovan Belcher's murder suicide leaves grandparents fighting over his 4-month-year old.

A battle for custody is brewing between the maternal and paternal grandparents of an infant whose father, Kansas City Chiefs player Jovan Belcher, committed a murder-suicide on Dec. 1. Belcher killed his girlfriend, Kasandra Perkins, before driving to Arrowhead Stadium and shooting himself in the head. Four-month-old Zoey Michelle Belcher was put under the custody of Cheryl Shepherd, her paternal grandmother, who was in the Kansas City home when her son shot Perkins.

However, after allowing Zoey to go to Texas for her mother’s funeral, the maternal relatives have “ceased communicating with Cheryl Shepherd and have refused to return her calls or return the child to her care. A Jan. 11 hearing is set hear Shepherd’s petition seeking custody; a separate Jan. 22 hearing is set to hear the case for the lawsuit by the maternal grandparents seeking temporary custody.

Zoey’s estate or guardian would receive more than $1 million under terms of the NFL’s collective bargaining agreement. Belcher’s beneficiary could also receive $600,000 in life insurance and $200,000 for each of his credited seasons. (NY Post)

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