A woman who was shot and killed on Valentine’s Day was trying to flee from her husband, a court has been told.
Edward Smith, 43, shot Lisa Smith, 43, twice in the neck in the car park of The Three Horseshoes in Knockholt, a village in Kent, on February 14.
The mum had travelled to Kent from the couple’s home in Slough after telling her sister she planned to leave Smith.
Smith tracked Lisa down to a pub, arriving as she was inside her friend’s car, only to go inside the pub to shout at her friends at 7pm.
He got back inside his car and blocked the exit before firing two shots from inside his car at his wife and another two after stepping out, police officials told the coroner.
Sign up for all of the latest stories
Start your day informed with Metro’s News Updates newsletter or get Breaking News alerts the moment it happens.
Lisa died at the scene despite an off-duty firefighter at the pub performing CPR at 7.42pm.
After the two-minute-long shooting, Smith phoned a family member at 8.30pm saying: ‘We have had a bit of tragedy today. I have just shot my wife, Lisa.
‘If you can, please pray for my family because things aren’t looking good.’
During a separate phone call, someone told him: ‘You don’t need to do this, god is not ready to take you, it will all be fine.’
Smith jumped to his death from the Queen Elizabeth II bridge in Dartford later that evening.
In a voice note beforehand, Smith said: ‘Hopefully I’m going to get into heaven with my wife.’
His body was recovered in the River Thames near Rainham, Essex, in early March.
Need support?
For emotional support, you can call the Samaritans 24-hour helpline on 116 123, email jo@samaritans.org, visit a Samaritans branch in person or go to the Samaritans website.
Their HOPELINE247 is open every day of the year, 24 hours a day. You can call 0800 068 4141, text 88247 or email: pat@papyrus-uk.org.
In tributes, friends and family of Lisa described her as the ‘life and soul of the party’ who made ‘everyone laugh’.
Her son said in a social media post: ‘My mum, the best woman to walk in two shoes.’
Coroner Katrina Hepburn concluded Lisa died from unlawful killing and found ‘requisite intent from Edward Smith to kill her or cause her really serious harm’.
The first two shots didn’t strike Lisa, the coroner said, but the third caused ‘fatal damage’ to Lisa’s neck and the fourth bullet struck her at close range.
A handgun, live ammunition, a knife and a mobile phone were found in Smith’s vehicle.
The coroner added: ‘I am satisfied on the balance of probabilities that a short form conclusion of unlawful killing would be safe and appropriate to set out in this manner.
‘There was intent to find Lisa Smith after she had left her home address and once she was found the car she was seated in was blocked, preventing any exit.’
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.
