January 11, 2013
A petition filed by the mother of a Kansas City Chiefs player who killed his girlfriend before taking his own life is scheduled to be considered in a brief court hearing.
Cheryl Shepherd, mother of Jovan Belcher, is seeking custody of 4-month-old Zoey Belcher and to be named administrator of her son's estate. A court spokeswoman says the only action expected at Friday's probate hearing is to change the status of the custody petition to contested from uncontested.
Belcher fatally shot Zoey's mother, Kasandra Perkins, at their Kansas City home Dec. 1 before killing himself in front of coaches and Chiefs officials outside Arrowhead Stadium.
Shepherd, of West Babylon, N.Y., took temporary custody of Zoey after the shooting. Relatives of Perkins have filed a petition in Texas also seeking custody.
