By . Rachel Quigley and Nina Golgowski . PUBLISHED: . 12:53 EST, 18 January 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 13:07 EST, 18 January 2013 . The mother of late Kansas City Chief linebacker Jovan Belcher seeking custody of her son's baby who's worth more than $3million signed over custody of the child two days after the father's murder-suicide it's been revealed. Cheryl Shepherd, whose son publicly took his life along with the baby's mother’s last December, had granted 'temporary guardianship' to the mother's family despite today's ensuing fight for custody. It's that agreement, though temporary, which legal experts say severely damages Ms Shepherd's chance of winning back custody of the four-month-old, as well as the child's lucrative estate. Custody battle: Belcher is seen here with his girlfriend Kasandra Perkins, 22, and their baby daughter Zoey who with their death is at the heart of a $3million custody battle . Temporary custody: The baby's grandmother gave temporary custody of the girl to her mother's family so she could attend a funeral service for the mother in Texas, the mother and baby seen here . Zoey, who's currently living with the mother's family in Austin, Texas, was orphaned on Dec. 1 when her father killed her mother, Kasandra Perkins, at the couple’s home in suburban Kansas City. Belcher's mother had . been living with the couple for about two weeks and was in the home when . her son killed Perkins before taking his own life at the Chief's Arrowhead Stadium. Ms Shepherd received temporary custody . of Belcher's daughter soon after the shootings and filed a . petition in mid-December asking to be appointed as Zoey's guardian and . conservator of her estate, which is worth about $3 million. The letter seen signed today featuring four signatures by Ms Shepherd, Kasandra Perkins' cousin Sophie, a witness, and a notary, was to allow Zoey to attend her mother's Texas memorial service. 'I, Cheryl Shepherd, who has custody of child Zoey Michelle Belcher ... hereby grant temporary guardianship ... to Sophie Deon Perkins,' the letter obtained by the New York Post reads. 'What she’s doing is giving the maternal [family] a statement, which, in essence, says, "I think you are capable of taking care of the child. I think you will love the child,"' top New York matrimonial lawyer Marilyn Chinitz told the Post. That's an argument Ms Shepherd of West Babylon New York will have to tackle now in court. Troubled: The murder-suicide has sparked debate in the NFL about gun ownership and the personal struggles of players . Zoey’s estate or guardian will receive more than $1 million under terms of the NFL’s collective bargaining agreement, including $108,000 annually over the next four years, $48,000 in the fifth year and $52,000 each year until she turns 18. She can keep receiving that amount until she is 23 if she attends college. - New York Lawyer Marilyn Chinitz . Earlier this month a court appointed a lawyer to protect the interests of the four-month-old. Shepherd also filed a second petition seeking to be named administrator of her son's estate. On January 11th, she sat silently . between her two attorneys in a Jackson County courtroom as probate . commissioner Daniel Wheeler addressed the petitions and ordered the appointment of a guardian ad litem - an attorney who represents the interests of minor . children. Wheeler changed the status of the . custody petition to 'contested' because Zoey's maternal grandparents and . other family members in Texas filed a petition in that state to be . Zoey's legal guardians. On Friday judges in both states held a conference call Thursday with lawyers for the two families, agreeing to dismiss the lawsuit filed in Texas by the maternal grandparents, Rebecca Anne Gonzalez and Darryl Perkins, their attorney Jon Michael Franks said. Paying respects: Hundreds of mourners memorialized Jovan Belcher at his funeral - despite his murdering the mother of his child before committing suicide . Memorial: Jovan Belcher was eulogized as a 'humble, kind young man' by his mother as his family and friends grappled with the horror of what he did . The judges determined that the custody dispute would be handled in Missouri’s Jackson County, where the baby was living at the time of her parents’ deaths and where her paternal grandmother filed a custody petition, Franks said. In addition to the well-being of the child, millions of dollars are at stake in the custody battle. A trust funded by the Hunt family, . which owns the Chiefs, along with team coaches, players, employees and . contributions from the public, will help care for the child. Also, Belcher's beneficiary will . receive $600,000 in life insurance, plus $200,000 for each credited . season – Belcher was in his fourth season at the time of his death – and . $100,000 in a retirement account. Shepherd's attorney, Gretchen Gold, . declined to answer questions after last week's hearing and said her client . didn't have any comments, either. Zoey's maternal grandparents, Rebecca . Anne Gonzalez and Darryl Perkins, and other Texas relatives have filed a . lawsuit seeking temporary custody of the girl, that her residence be in . Tarrant County, Texas, and that a guardian ad litem be appointed. A Fort Worth judge has scheduled a . January 22 hearing in that lawsuit. The other woman: Brittni Glass spent the night with Belcher before he murdered his girlfriend but has since denied the two had a sexual relationship . It is believed that the murder suicide took place after a row about whether or not Belcher was Zoey's father. His suicide was witnessed by coach Romeo Crennel and general manager Scott Pioli. A source told the New York Post: . '[Cheryl] believed that there was an issue over whether [Belcher] was . the father. She said he believed he wasn’t necessarily the father of . the child.' A Kansas City law-enforcement source confirmed: 'She told police there was a question about the paternity.' The . source added: 'The implication was that paternity was what the two of . them were fighting about — that the baby might not have been his.' The couple had been receiving counseling for relationship and financial problems, police said. A spokeswoman said she would not comment on the doubts raised over baby Zoey's paternity. It also emerged last month that the NFL player . had a secret girlfriend - Brittni Glass - who he allegedly told he would shoot Perkins 'if . she didn't leave him alone'. Belcher is also believed to have had . drinks and dinner with her before he arrived home, shot his . girlfriend after a blazing row, and then ended his own life. Details of the Belcher case are contained in police reports submitted to the Jackson County prosecutor, who has ruled the event a murder-suicide. They include dozens of interviews with witnesses. Glass has denied the two were in a relationship. Glass, also 22, told police that Belcher complained about Perkins threatening to take all his money and the baby if they broke up. He said Perkins 'knew exactly how to press his buttons and make him angry,' according to a summary of the woman's interview with police. Belcher had been with the woman and some of her friends at a downtown Kansas City entertainment district the night before the shooting, the woman said. He spent part of the night in her apartment and part of it sleeping in his car before going home early in the morning, the report said. He and Perkins were arguing before he shot her, his mother, Cheryl Shepherd, told police. Shepherd had moved in with the couple two weeks earlier to help care for the baby. Shepherd heard Belcher say 'You won't talk to me that way' and then she heard a thump and gunshots. Shepherd rushed into the bedroom and found Perkins lying on the bathroom floor, she told police. Before fleeing the house, Belcher knelt next to Perkins, apologized and repeatedly kissed her, his daughter and his mother, Shepherd said. Belcher drove off in his Bentley to . the practice facility at Arrowhead several miles away, where he pulled . into the parking lot and saw Pioli, the report said. Pioli quoted Belcher as saying, 'I . did it, I killed her.' Belcher held a handgun to his own head. 'I got to . go, can't be here, and take care of my daughter,' Pioli recalled . Belcher saying. He had asked to speak with Crennel . and linebacker coach Gary Gibbs, the report said. Crennel told police he . pleaded with Belcher to put down the gun. One witness said she heard . Crennel say, 'you're taking the easy way out'. Belcher lowered the gun, but only to load a round into the chamber, Crennel told police. Seeing a police officer in the distance and hearing sirens, Belcher knelt behind a mini-van, blessed himself and fired the gun into his temple, the report said.
Cheryl Shepherd, mother of NFL linebacker, granted temporary custody of son's child to mother's family .
Legal experts say that permission damages grandmother's chances of getting her back .
Belcher and Kassandra Perkins argued over the paternity of the child on the day they died, with Kasandra telling the NFL player that he was not the father .
Child is worth $3million .
By . Rachel Quigley and Nina Golgowski . PUBLISHED: . 12:53 EST, 18 January 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 13:07 EST, 18 January 2013 . The mother of late Kansas City Chief linebacker Jovan Belcher seeking custody of her son's baby who's worth more than $3million signed over custody of the child two days after the father's murder-suicide it's been revealed. Cheryl Shepherd, whose son publicly took his life along with the baby's mother’s last December, had granted 'temporary guardianship' to the mother's family despite today's ensuing fight for custody. It's that agreement, though temporary, which legal experts say severely damages Ms Shepherd's chance of winning back custody of the four-month-old, as well as the child's lucrative estate. Custody battle: Belcher is seen here with his girlfriend Kasandra Perkins, 22, and their baby daughter Zoey who with their death is at the heart of a $3million custody battle . Temporary custody: The baby's grandmother gave temporary custody of the girl to her mother's family so she could attend a funeral service for the mother in Texas, the mother and baby seen here . Zoey, who's currently living with the mother's family in Austin, Texas, was orphaned on Dec. 1 when her father killed her mother, Kasandra Perkins, at the couple’s home in suburban Kansas City. Belcher's mother had . been living with the couple for about two weeks and was in the home when . her son killed Perkins before taking his own life at the Chief's Arrowhead Stadium. Ms Shepherd received temporary custody . of Belcher's daughter soon after the shootings and filed a . petition in mid-December asking to be appointed as Zoey's guardian and . conservator of her estate, which is worth about $3 million. The letter seen signed today featuring four signatures by Ms Shepherd, Kasandra Perkins' cousin Sophie, a witness, and a notary, was to allow Zoey to attend her mother's Texas memorial service. 'I, Cheryl Shepherd, who has custody of child Zoey Michelle Belcher ... hereby grant temporary guardianship ... to Sophie Deon Perkins,' the letter obtained by the New York Post reads. 'What she’s doing is giving the maternal [family] a statement, which, in essence, says, "I think you are capable of taking care of the child. I think you will love the child,"' top New York matrimonial lawyer Marilyn Chinitz told the Post. That's an argument Ms Shepherd of West Babylon New York will have to tackle now in court. Troubled: The murder-suicide has sparked debate in the NFL about gun ownership and the personal struggles of players . Zoey’s estate or guardian will receive more than $1 million under terms of the NFL’s collective bargaining agreement, including $108,000 annually over the next four years, $48,000 in the fifth year and $52,000 each year until she turns 18. She can keep receiving that amount until she is 23 if she attends college. - New York Lawyer Marilyn Chinitz . Earlier this month a court appointed a lawyer to protect the interests of the four-month-old. Shepherd also filed a second petition seeking to be named administrator of her son's estate. On January 11th, she sat silently . between her two attorneys in a Jackson County courtroom as probate . commissioner Daniel Wheeler addressed the petitions and ordered the appointment of a guardian ad litem - an attorney who represents the interests of minor . children. Wheeler changed the status of the . custody petition to 'contested' because Zoey's maternal grandparents and . other family members in Texas filed a petition in that state to be . Zoey's legal guardians. On Friday judges in both states held a conference call Thursday with lawyers for the two families, agreeing to dismiss the lawsuit filed in Texas by the maternal grandparents, Rebecca Anne Gonzalez and Darryl Perkins, their attorney Jon Michael Franks said. Paying respects: Hundreds of mourners memorialized Jovan Belcher at his funeral - despite his murdering the mother of his child before committing suicide . Memorial: Jovan Belcher was eulogized as a 'humble, kind young man' by his mother as his family and friends grappled with the horror of what he did . The judges determined that the custody dispute would be handled in Missouri’s Jackson County, where the baby was living at the time of her parents’ deaths and where her paternal grandmother filed a custody petition, Franks said. In addition to the well-being of the child, millions of dollars are at stake in the custody battle. A trust funded by the Hunt family, . which owns the Chiefs, along with team coaches, players, employees and . contributions from the public, will help care for the child. Also, Belcher's beneficiary will . receive $600,000 in life insurance, plus $200,000 for each credited . season – Belcher was in his fourth season at the time of his death – and . $100,000 in a retirement account. Shepherd's attorney, Gretchen Gold, . declined to answer questions after last week's hearing and said her client . didn't have any comments, either. Zoey's maternal grandparents, Rebecca . Anne Gonzalez and Darryl Perkins, and other Texas relatives have filed a . lawsuit seeking temporary custody of the girl, that her residence be in . Tarrant County, Texas, and that a guardian ad litem be appointed. A Fort Worth judge has scheduled a . January 22 hearing in that lawsuit. The other woman: Brittni Glass spent the night with Belcher before he murdered his girlfriend but has since denied the two had a sexual relationship . It is believed that the murder suicide took place after a row about whether or not Belcher was Zoey's father. His suicide was witnessed by coach Romeo Crennel and general manager Scott Pioli. A source told the New York Post: . '[Cheryl] believed that there was an issue over whether [Belcher] was . the father. She said he believed he wasn’t necessarily the father of . the child.' A Kansas City law-enforcement source confirmed: 'She told police there was a question about the paternity.' The . source added: 'The implication was that paternity was what the two of . them were fighting about — that the baby might not have been his.' The couple had been receiving counseling for relationship and financial problems, police said. A spokeswoman said she would not comment on the doubts raised over baby Zoey's paternity. It also emerged last month that the NFL player . had a secret girlfriend - Brittni Glass - who he allegedly told he would shoot Perkins 'if . she didn't leave him alone'. Belcher is also believed to have had . drinks and dinner with her before he arrived home, shot his . girlfriend after a blazing row, and then ended his own life. Details of the Belcher case are contained in police reports submitted to the Jackson County prosecutor, who has ruled the event a murder-suicide. They include dozens of interviews with witnesses. Glass has denied the two were in a relationship. Glass, also 22, told police that Belcher complained about Perkins threatening to take all his money and the baby if they broke up. He said Perkins 'knew exactly how to press his buttons and make him angry,' according to a summary of the woman's interview with police. Belcher had been with the woman and some of her friends at a downtown Kansas City entertainment district the night before the shooting, the woman said. He spent part of the night in her apartment and part of it sleeping in his car before going home early in the morning, the report said. He and Perkins were arguing before he shot her, his mother, Cheryl Shepherd, told police. Shepherd had moved in with the couple two weeks earlier to help care for the baby. Shepherd heard Belcher say 'You won't talk to me that way' and then she heard a thump and gunshots. Shepherd rushed into the bedroom and found Perkins lying on the bathroom floor, she told police. Before fleeing the house, Belcher knelt next to Perkins, apologized and repeatedly kissed her, his daughter and his mother, Shepherd said. Belcher drove off in his Bentley to . the practice facility at Arrowhead several miles away, where he pulled . into the parking lot and saw Pioli, the report said. Pioli quoted Belcher as saying, 'I . did it, I killed her.' Belcher held a handgun to his own head. 'I got to . go, can't be here, and take care of my daughter,' Pioli recalled . Belcher saying. He had asked to speak with Crennel . and linebacker coach Gary Gibbs, the report said. Crennel told police he . pleaded with Belcher to put down the gun. One witness said she heard . Crennel say, 'you're taking the easy way out'. Belcher lowered the gun, but only to load a round into the chamber, Crennel told police. Seeing a police officer in the distance and hearing sirens, Belcher knelt behind a mini-van, blessed himself and fired the gun into his temple, the report said.
granted 'temporary guardianship' to the mother's legal experts say severely damages Ms Shepherd's who's currently living with the mother's family Shepherd received temporary custody . of necessarily the father of . the child.' A Kansas police there was a question about the paternity.' would not comment on the doubts raised over baby the NFL player . had a secret girlfriend - police that Belcher complained about Perkins before he shot her, his mother, Cheryl Shepherd,