After 15 years of folks speculating about Shannon Price’s role in Gary Coleman’s sudden death, she’s still standing firm on her innocence. Now, PEOPLE has the exclusive scoop on the jaw-dropping results of the voluntary lie detector test she took for A&E’s new series, Lie Detector: Truth or Deception.
In the two-hour premiere, Price opened up with deep emotion.
“I literally, my whole life, have had the odds working against me,” she said. “And so I’m hoping, I’m really hoping, for a good outcome. Not everyone is perfect at taking a polygraph test, but I have a glimmer of hope that this will work out in my favor, and people will be like, okay, you know what? She’s just a normal girl that had an unfortunate situation happen.”
Recap of Gary Coleman’s Death and the Lingering Doubts About Shannon Price
Gary Coleman, the beloved Diff’rent Strokes star, tied the knot with Shannon Price in August 2007. But it was far from a fairytale. The couple split less than a year later, though they kept living under the same roof.
In May 2010, tragedy hit. Coleman suffered an intracranial hemorrhage after falling inside their Utah home. Price claimed she found him lying in a pool of blood. Although the death was ruled accidental, the court of public opinion was never satisfied. Price was never charged, but speculation around her role in the incident has never died down.
Audio from her 911 call showed her resisting the operator’s advice to help Coleman. Two days later, with Coleman in a medically-induced coma, she made the decision to pull him off life support.
“You Failed”: FBI Agent Lays Out the Polygraph Results
When former FBI agent George Olivo questioned Price during the lie detector test, things got intense.
“You pushed me a little bit yesterday,” Price told him. “It was stressful. I’m not gonna lie. This really put into perspective, like, ‘Hey, Shannon, this is you. This is your character.’”
Olivo explained that he didn’t just rely on one method to evaluate the results. First, he did his own analysis. Then a computer program reviewed the data. Lastly, another retired FBI examiner gave a second opinion. All three confirmed the same thing: the results don’t lie.
Inconclusive Answers and One Hard Truth About Gary’s Fall
The first question: did Shannon ever hit Gary during their relationship? She said no—but the test was inconclusive.
“I’m not going to say that you passed that test, because you didn’t,” Olivo said.
“I would never hurt him in that manner or that sense, because his life was so fragile,” Price responded. “Daily life was a struggle for him, and I would never want to hurt him.”
Next came the question about whether she purposely failed to help him after his fall. Again, she denied—but the polygraph couldn’t confirm she was being truthful.
“That, statistically, raises a little bit of an eyebrow,” Olivo said. “This question about whether you did everything you could for Gary when he fell, when you called 911, is clearly something that’s haunted you for 14 years.”
Price finally admitted:
“As far as rendering aid, I could have helped him a little bit more.”
She added:
“I will say, the operator could have helped as well a little bit by asking me more specific questions.”
But Olivo wasn’t buying it.
“Forget the 911 operator, you were there. Little bit of tough love now. You’re not the victim here; he’s the victim.”
Then came the bombshell.
The Final Question: Did Shannon Cause Gary Coleman’s Fall?
Olivo asked it straight: Did Shannon cause the fall? She denied it. But the machine said otherwise.
“You failed the exam regarding Gary’s fall,” Olivo revealed. “There’s more to this story that hasn’t been told. The body never lies… and your body on that lie detector test spoke loud and clear.”
Still, Price stood her ground.
“I know where I’m at. I’m at peace,” she told host Tony Harris. “There is a reason I am not in prison. There is a legit reason for that. It’s because they did a thorough investigation.
Public Reaction and What This Means Moving Forward
This new twist in Gary Coleman’s case is already sending shockwaves across social media. While some believe Shannon Price has been unfairly vilified for years, others say this failed test only confirms their suspicions.
It’s important to remember: the law never charged her. But now, with this televised moment in front of millions, the public court is back in session.
As Olivo said, “There’s more to the story.”