
Gary Coleman’s ex-wife Shannon Price has taken a lie detector test to finally address wild rumors she murdered the star in 2010.
Former child star Coleman died aged 42 on May 28, 2010, two days after a mysterious fall at his home led to intracranial hemorrhaging and cardiac arrest.
His death was officially ruled an accident, but close friends called it foul play – and placed the blame on Price – who has consistently denied the claims.
In new A&E series, Lie Detector: Truth or Deception, Price, 39, finally submits to a lie detector test with a former FBI agent to set the record straight – but is left stunned by the ‘deceptive’ results.
She says in the premiere obtained by People: ‘I literally, my whole life, have had the odds working against me. 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.
Olivo said he ‘had to reel’ Price and make sure she was taking the exam seriously after she said she found the process ‘stressful.’

Gary Coleman’s ex-wife Shannon Price has taken a lie detector test to finally address wild rumors she murdered the star in 2010

In new A&E series, Lie Detector: Truth or Deception, Price finally submits to a lie detector test with a former FBI agent to set the record straight – but is left stunned by the ‘deceptive’ results
He evaluated the results, ran the data through a computer system and then got a second reading from a fellow retired FBI examiner to determine his final results – all of which yielded the same outcome.
Price was first asked if she had ever ‘struck’ Coleman during their relationship, to which she answered ‘no.’ The findings were inconclusive.
Olivo said: ‘I’m not going to say that you passed that test, because you didn’t.’
Price responded: ‘I would never hurt him in that manner or that sense, because his life was so fragile. Daily life was a struggle for him, and I would never want to hurt him.’
She was then asked whether she ‘intentionally withheld proper aid from Coleman in the aftermath of his fall’ which she denied – the results were again inconclusive.
Olivo said: ‘That, statistically, raises a little bit of an eyebrow. Then again, you’re the same person sitting there who’s still nervous and who’s still a bit distracted. But here’s the way I look at it, this question having to do with you doing everything that you could possibly do for Gary when he fell, when you called 911, is an issue that you’ve had in your mind for 14 years, and it’s still not resolved in your mind.
Price admitted: ‘As far as rendering aid, I could have helped him a little bit more.
‘I will say, the operator could have helped as well a little bit by asking me more specific questions’ to which Olivo said: ‘Forget the 911 operator, you were there. Little bit of tough love now. You’re not the victim here, he’s the victim.’

Price was first asked if she had ever ‘struck’ Coleman during their relationship, to which she answered ‘no.’ The findings were inconclusive. Olivo (right) said: ‘I’m not going to say that you passed that test, because you didn’t.’

She was then asked whether she ‘intentionally withheld proper aid from Coleman in the aftermath of his fall’ which she denied – the results were again inconclusive

The bombshell final question saw Olivo ask if Price had ‘physically caused Coleman’s fall’ to which she said she had not – but the lie detector found ‘deception indicated.’ Olivo said: ‘ You failed the exam regarding Gary’s fall – pictured 20098
The bombshell final question saw Olivo ask if Price had ‘physically caused Coleman’s fall’ to which she said she had not – but the lie detector found ‘deception indicated.’
Olivo said: ‘You failed the exam regarding Gary’s fall. There’s two things I know for sure, Shannon. One, you were not completely honest with me yesterday during this polygraph section. And two, the other thing I know that’s 100% certain, is that there is more to this story that hasn’t been told. The body never lies. The body always tells the truth. And your body on that lie detector test spoke loud and clear, there’s something that caused you to fail this test.’
Price said she was ‘not surprised’ by failing the final question as Olivo was ‘relying on a machine’ and said she was ‘at peace.
She added: ‘There is a reason I am not in prison. There is a legit reason for that. It’s because they did a thorough investigation.’ to which Olivo said ‘there’s also a thing called lack of evidence.’
Coleman and Price divorced on August 12, 2008 but kept the move secret, sealing the documents and using the names ‘John Doe’ and ‘Jane Doe’.
The papers cited ‘irreconcilable differences’ as the reason for divorce and stated that no alimony was awarded, with all property going to Coleman. But the couple continued living together.
Coleman was once the most popular child star in America, starring on the beloved sitcom ‘Diff’rent Strokes alongside Todd Bridges and Dana Plato.
He captivated America with his small stature, adorable good looks and catchphrase, ‘What’chu talkin’ ’bout, Willis?’
Before his death, the actor was also hospitalized for the third time in one year, after suffering multiple seizures.
The 4ft 8in star’s growth was stunted by a congenital kidney defect and he had also had two kidney transplants.

Olivo said: ‘ You failed the exam regarding Gary’s fall. There’s two things I know for sure, Shannon. One, you were not completely honest with me yesterday during this polygraph section. And two, the other thing I know that’s 100% certain, is that there is more to this story that hasn’t been told’
In a statement to TMZ, Shannon addressed the polygraph exam: ‘We were extremely disappointed with the overall experience of both the polygraph testing and dealing with A&E. Many promises were made and not kept. The testing situation was unfair and very uncomfortable, and the testing was performed non-verbally — which I should have refused. From the beginning, it was apparent they cared more about ratings than finding the truth.’
In 2007, he was arrested after a ‘heated discussion’ with his wife. He was cited for misdemeanor disorderly conduct by Utah police.
Two years later in July 2009, he and Price were once again involved in a domestic dispute in which his wife was arrested on suspicion of domestic violence.
His temper got him in trouble again in 2010, when he was arrested on domestic violence assault charges. That time, he spent a night in jail.
Coleman lost most of his fortune in a protracted legal battle with his adoptive parents, who had control of his wealth until he was 18. By the end, he was left with just $200,000.
Coleman tried to get a restraining order against his ex-wife just three months before he died.
In the court document, the actor alleged that Price was trespassing in his Santaquin home while he was hospitalized following a heart surgery.
Coleman asked the court to forcibly remove Price from the home.
He admitted in the papers, obtained by RadarOnline.com that before and after his marriage: ‘There have been incidences of domestic violence.’
After Gary’s death, his close friends believed that Price was responsible for his death, especially his ex-girlfriend Anna Gray.
‘I think Price’s actions speak volumes, and I don’t have to say much more than that,’ Anna said in the documentary, referring to the fact that Price wouldn’t touch him as he lay bleeding.
Price’s actions were further criticized when she didn’t go to the hospital with Gary on the night of his accident.
Two days later, she made the choice to pull the plug on the life support he was on, which, his friends claim, were against Coleman’s written wishes.
And even more egregiously, Price allegedly took a death bed photo of Coleman and sold it, which one of his friends called ‘depraved.’
‘We were absolutely stumped, because there were way too many questions with no answers,’ Gary’s friend Dion Mial said in a 2025 interview with Inside Edition.
The 911 call Price made on the night of the fall also raised eyebrows as the operator asked her ‘can you touch him?’ to which she responded: ‘No, I don’t want to touch him.’
‘Why didn’t you try to help Gary after he fell?’ Inside Edition’s Chief Correspondent Jim Moret asked Price.

In 2007, he was arrested after a ‘heated discussion’ with his wife. He was cited for misdemeanor disorderly conduct by Utah police

His other friends Darren Nord and Brandi Buys, who knew Coleman in his last years of life, also said his death was suspicious
‘You know, I did help him. I actually had to run around looking for a towel because we didn’t have any in the downstairs bathroom,’ Price said.
‘What people have to understand and realize is this is the first real traumatic situation I ever had to witness.’
She said the night of the accident, the police wrote there was ‘nothing suspicious’ about the actor’s death on their report and Coleman’s death certificate lists the manner of death as an accident.
The two hour premiere of Lie Detector: Truth or Deception airs July 10 at 9 p.m. ET on A&E.