Inset: Summer Coughran (Bernalillo County Sheriff”s Office). Background: The area near where Coughran shot and killed her father in Albuquerque, N.M. (Google Maps).
A 28-year-old New Mexico woman could spend years in prison after pleading guilty to killing her father in Albuquerque earlier this year.
Summer Coughran admitted Thursday to one count of murder in connection with the January death of her 65-year-old father, Kirk Coughran.
Her guilty plea marks the latest major development in a case that initially centered on her claim that the shooting was justified self-defense.
Albuquerque Police Department officers responded to the Coughran family home near Saguaro Street and Wildfire Road in northwest Albuquerque on Jan. 20 after receiving reports of a shooting.
According to an arrest report obtained by Us Weekly, Coughran told a 911 dispatcher at about 3 a.m. that she had shot her father.
Officers found Kirk Coughran dead inside the home. Investigators later determined that he had likely been dead for at least 15 hours before police arrived.
Coughran initially told authorities that her father had attacked her, leading her to shoot him in fear for her life. She later alleged that he had abused her for much of her life.
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Investigators quickly questioned that account, citing inconsistencies in Coughran’s statements. They reportedly became especially suspicious when she could not provide specific details about the alleged long-term abuse.
She also did not explain what had occurred on the night of the shooting that made her believe she was in immediate danger, according to police.
Authorities said physical evidence at the scene did not align with Coughran’s version of events, although they did not publicly detail the differences. During the investigation, police also uncovered earlier reports involving the family in which Coughran was accused of being the aggressor and her father was identified as the alleged victim. Kirk Coughran did not pursue charges in those cases.
One prior report stated that Coughran had schizophrenia and may have stopped taking her prescribed medication.
Coughran had faced an aggravated assault charge involving a peace officer in December 2024. Days later, another relative obtained a restraining order after allegedly being threatened with violence by Coughran.
Despite the investigative concerns, Coughran continued to maintain that she had acted in self-defense for a period of time, and her attorneys presented that argument in court, according to Albuquerque Fox affiliate KRQE. A judge denied her bail in April, and her murder trial had been scheduled for early 2027.
The trial will no longer take place. Coughran is now expected to be sentenced early next year.
