Summer Coughran pleads guilty to murder of father in Albuquerque

Summer Coughran entered a guilty plea Thursday in Albuquerque in the death of her father. The plea moves her case directly to sentencing early next year.

The shooting occurred in January. Albuquerque Police said the 28-year-old told officers she shot 65-year-old Kirk Coughran at their home. It is near Paradise and Eagle Ranch.

Coughran claimed her father assaulted her and had a history of doing so. Her lawyers argued self-defense. Detectives said her story did not match the evidence at the scene.

A guilty plea waives a jury trial. Albuquerque judges review case records before setting a penalty.

She will be sentenced at the beginning of next year.