British graduate Lucy Harrison sh£t dead by her father after an argument over Donald Trump

A 23-year-old British graduate, Lucy Harrison, was sh-t dead by her father at his home in Prosper, Texas, just hours after the pair had argued about Donald Trump.

Lucy had been preparing to return to the UK on January 10, 2025, following a Christmas holiday in the US, which she spent with her boyfriend, Sam Littler. She was due to fly back to Manchester later that day.

A police report confirmed that Lucy died from gunsh-t wounds to the chest after being “sh-t by another person” from a “medium range” inside the property. Despite this, a grand jury later ruled that no one should be prosecuted.

Speaking after the decision, Lucy’s mother, Jane Coates, described the outcome as “baffling” and “beyond comprehension”.

At an inquest into her death, it was revealed for the first time that Lucy was fatally sh-t by her father in a bedroom at the house, with no one else present at the time.

The inquest heard that Lucy was “categorically anti-gun” and had raised concerns about the safety of her father owning a firearm, particularly with her young half-sisters living in the home. She had previously said it was unsafe for him to have a gun around children.

It was also disclosed that Lucy’s father had a long history of alcohol problems. In 2023, he suffered an алкоголь-related seizure that left him in a coma before entering rehabilitation. He later relapsed in 2024 and was said to have “lied” to Texas police about his drinking.

Her boyfriend, Sam Littler, told the inquest that Lucy had argued with her father on the morning of her death about Donald Trump. On the same day, the then president-elect received an unconditional discharge following his conviction over “hush money” paid to adult-film star Stormy Daniels.

Sam said the argument left Lucy “upset”, and he had to “console” her. However, later that day, Lucy and her half-sisters played happily in the snow before she and Sam packed their bags for their evening flight home.

Mr Littler said he had no concerns that Lucy’s father had been drinking that day, although he admitted he “always felt on edge” during visits.

“There was a lot of very opinionated people in the house,” he said.

He also told the court that Lucy’s father drove alone to the shops twice that morning, insisting no one join him because the snowy roads were “dangerous”. Sam said he did not see any alcohol brought back into the house.

According to Mr Littler, at around 3pm, as they were preparing to leave, Lucy’s father took her by the hand in a “mysterious manner” and led her into his downstairs bedroom without saying a word.

Sam was aware that a handgun was kept in a cabinet in that room, although he had never seen it.

Within 15 seconds, he heard a loud bang, which he initially believed was a “prank”. Moments later, he heard Lucy’s father screaming. Sam and his wife, Heather, rushed into the room and found Lucy collapsed on the floor.

Sam called 911 after spotting a gun on the corner of the bed, although he said he did not initially realise Lucy had been sh-t.

He also revealed that Lucy’s father had previously spoken about taking his gun out of its case when an outside security light came on and walking around “like James Bond”, only to discover the “intruder” was a raccoon. Sam said he did not know whether Lucy’s father had received any firearms training.

In a statement read to the court, Lucy’s friend Ella Gowing said Lucy had “confided” in her about her father’s “drink problem” and expressed concerns about “volatility” in his home.

She described the presence of a gun in the house as creating an “unpredictable environment” and said Lucy was “immediately really upset” when she learned her father had bought one.

“She could not understand why Kris would bring this into his home,” Ms Gowing said.

“She was categorically anti-gun.”

Lucy had also worried deeply about the safety of her younger half-sisters, saying she did not want them around something so dangerous.

Lucy’s mother became tearful as she gave evidence, telling the inquest that her daughter was unhappy about her father owning a gun, although there had been no specific incidents during previous visits.

She said Lucy’s father could become “bold” when under the influence of alcohol.

Ms Coates said she last spoke to her daughter 15 minutes before she was sh-t, at which point Lucy and her boyfriend were “packed up and ready to go”.

Lucy’s parents had separated when she was young, and her father had lived in the US since she was ten. After turning 18, Lucy visited Texas two to three times a year to see him and her half-sisters.

Paying tribute, her mother described Lucy as “a real force of life”, adding that she was “sensitive, energetic, intelligent, funny and a really great human being”.

“She was passionate about things and loved to have debates,” she said.

The inquest also heard that questions remain over Lucy’s father’s firearms training and whether he knew there was a bullet in the gun.

During the hearing at Cheshire Coroner’s Court, lawyers representing Lucy’s father unsuccessfully attempted to have senior coroner Jacqueline Devonshire step aside, accusing her of being “biased”.

However, the coroner rejected the application, stating there was no evidence of bias and confirming that Lucy’s father had been given opportunities to respond to the evidence. She also noted that he had “lied” to police in Texas about his drinking.

Lucy, a fashion buying graduate from Manchester Metropolitan University, had earned a first-class degree and secured her “dream job” as a buyer’s admin assistant at Boohoo.

An autopsy later confirmed she died from a single gunsh-t wound fired by another person. Tests showed she was negative for alcohol and drugs. She was pronounced dead at Baylor Scott and White Medical Centre at 3.47pm local time on January 10.

Prosper Police Department later confirmed the case had passed through the US courts with “no prosecution”.

Just hours before her death, Lucy had been posing for photographs in the snow.

In a joint tribute released by Cheshire Police, Lucy’s mother and boyfriend said:

“Lucy was life. She lived it fiercely and fearlessly, not being afraid to feel all that life has to offer. Lucy unashamedly loved – she had a huge capacity to love and be loved.”

“She was truly thriving in life and although this gives us great comfort, we are utterly heartbroken at the loss of our beautiful, gorgeous Luce.”

Lucy’s funeral was held at St Elphin’s Parish Church in Warrington, attended by more than 400 people.

“At Lucy’s funeral, my message to people was for them to continue to live their life fiercely and fearlessly like Lucy did,” her mother said.

“She wasn’t afraid. She wasn’t afraid to feel.”

The inquest is ongoing.