KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The hearing to determine guardianship of Zoey Belcher, daughter of NFL lineman Jovan Belcher, who killed his wife Kasandra Perkins before shooting himself in December, ended Thursday afternoon without a final custody decision.
According to an attorney in the case, Commissioner Daniel Wheeler will make a custody decision by 5 p.m. Wednesday, June 19, unless the two parties settle the dispute on their own before then.
The majority of Thursday’s hearing focused on 35-year-old Sophie Perkins, Kasandra’s cousin, who hopes to be named Zoey’s guardian.
She spoke about her character and desire to provide stability for 9-month-old Zoey at her home in the Austin, Texas area.
Cheryl Shepherd, Belcher’s mother, is also vying for custody. She resides in West Babylon, N.Y.
Sophie’s attorneys spent Thursday questioning her about her community involvement, church attendance, status as a college graduate and career with Dell Computers.
Shepherd’s attorneys responded by questioning Sophie’s motives for enrolling in grief management and parenting classes, suggesting that she did so to impress the court.
They presented a Facebook photo of one of Sophie’s relatives using drugs, and a record showing another of her relatives has done jail time.
Thursday was the last day of the hearing, which began Tuesday, June 11.
