Sophie Perkins Receives Custody of Jovan Belcher's Daughter

On December 1 Kansas City Chief linebacker Jovan Belcher,shot and killed his wife.  He then drove over to Arrowhead Stadium where he turned the gun on himself despite pleas from coaches and teammates not to do it.  A custody battle broke out between Cheryl Shepherd, Belcher's mother and Sophie Perkins, a cousin to Kasandra Perkins.  Shepherd claimed that Perkins leaves the child in daycare for 45 hours a week while she works while Perkins claimed that Shepherd's smoking habit and the numerous police calls to her apartment the past few years make it an unsuitable environment for the child.  Custody was granted to Perkins.  In  his decision to grant her custody  Jackson County Probate Commissioner Daniel Wheeler writes that the police visits to Shepherd and the fact that Zoey has lived with Perkins since the shooting is what made him decide that Perkins would be a better choice.  Under the NFL collective bargaining agreement Zoey will be receiving the next four years $108,000 annually, $48,000 the next year and $52,000 every year after that until she turns 18 or until she turns 23 if she decides to go to college.  A trust fund was also set up by Chief players and employees to care for her needs.