KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A Texas woman was awarded custody Thursday of her 9-month-old orphaned cousin whose mother was killed by former Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Jovan Belcher late last year before he turned the gun on himself.

Jackson County Probate Commissioner Daniel Wheeler issued an order Thursday granting custody of Zoey Perkins to Sophie Perkins of Pflugerville, Texas, saying she was more suited than Belcher’s mother to be the baby’s guardian. During a three-day hearing last week, Sophie Perkins and Belcher’s mother, Cheryl Shepherd of West Babylon, N.Y., each argued that she would be the best guardian for the girl.

Perkins, who was Kasandra Perkins’ first cousin, is the sister of Whitney Golden Charles, whose husband is Chiefs All-Pro running back Jamaal Charles. Other than some trips to New York to spend time with Shepherd, Zoey has mostly stayed with Perkins in Texas since the shooting.

The time the girl spent bonding with Perkins played a role in Wheeler’s decision, he wrote, as did the police calls to Shepherd’s home. Zoey is set to receive more than $1 million under 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 will continue to receive that amount until she is 23 if she attends college.

A trust funded with money from the Chiefs owners, coaches, players, employees and the public will also help care for the child.