Woman shot dead by husband on Valentine's Day after telling sister she was leaving, inquest finds
Coroner records unlawful killing after 43-year-old was shot in a pub car park; husband later died in an apparent suicide
A coroner has recorded a conclusion of unlawful killing after a 43-year-old woman was shot dead by her husband on Valentine’s Day this year, the Kent and Medway Coroner’s Court heard Wednesday.
Area Coroner Katrina Hepburn found there was the "requisite intent from Edward Smith to kill her or cause her really serious harm," after Lisa Smith was shot twice in the neck in the car park of The Three Horseshoes in Knockholt, Kent, on Feb. 14, 2025.
Detective Sergeant James Dolby told the inquest that Lisa Smith had told her sister earlier on Feb. 14 that she was leaving her husband. She travelled from the couple’s home in Slough to stay with family in Kent and was picked up at Orpington station by friends and her sister. Shortly before 7 p.m., she was a passenger in a friend’s Seat car parked outside The Three Horseshoes when her husband, identified in court as Edward Smith and also known as Edvard Stockings, arrived after repeatedly calling while searching for her.
The court heard that a verbal altercation took place inside the pub between Mr. Smith and the victim’s sister. CCTV and witness evidence described how Mr. Smith returned to his vehicle and manoeuvred to block the car containing Ms. Smith as it attempted to leave. At 18:59, DS Dolby said, the friend’s car reversed onto Harrow Road and stopped to speak with the sister; Mr. Smith then positioned his vehicle to prevent them exiting.
According to the coroner’s summary of witness and forensic evidence, four shots were fired. The first two were discharged from inside Mr. Smith’s vehicle toward the Seat and produced no injuries consistent with their trajectories. He then pulled forward, fired a second shot, exited his car with a handgun and fired a shot through the driver’s side window. That third shot caused the fatal damage to Ms. Smith’s neck. Mr. Smith is said to have then gone round to the passenger side and fired again at close range.
Members of the public and emergency services attempted cardiopulmonary resuscitation at the scene, but Ms. Smith was pronounced dead at 19:42. The coroner said she was satisfied, on the balance of probabilities, that Mr. Smith had intended to find Ms. Smith after she left the home address and had deliberately blocked the vehicle she was in to prevent escape.
In evidence heard at the inquest, Ms. Smith’s father asked detectives why the occupants had not driven away after the first two shots. DS Dolby told the court the episode unfolded very quickly.
After the shooting, the court heard, Mr. Smith sent voice messages to a recipient he called "Nana," saying "I've shot Lisa she's dead" and referring to suicide, including the line "hopefully I'm going to get into heaven with my wife." He was later seen to jump from the Queen Elizabeth II bridge in Dartford and died that same evening. An inquest into Mr. Smith’s death was scheduled to take place later on Wednesday.
Coroners record conclusions on the balance of probabilities and do not attribute criminal liability; separate criminal proceedings would be for prosecutors and, if applicable, a jury. The recording of unlawful killing is a formal finding that the death resulted from an act of another person and is often followed by further police or prosecutorial review. The coroner made no public recommendation for changes to policy or practice at the hearing.
The case was heard at Kent and Medway Coroner’s Court, where the court record and witness statements supplied the primary account of the events leading to Ms. Smith’s death. No further independent comment was provided by police at the inquest hearing transcript presented to the coroner.