Shot dead on sofa & set on fire as her toddler slept upstairs… chilling murder of mum, 22, left unsolved for two decades
DEATH RIDDLE Shot dead on sofa & set on fire as her toddler slept upstairs… chilling murder of mum, 22, left unsolved for two decades
THE cruel murder of Lucy Hargreaves sent chills across the nation when it was first reported.
The Liverpudlian, 22, was shot dead as she lay on her sofa by three men and subsequently set on fire at her home in Walton, Liverpool, on 3 August 2005.
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Lucy was killed in August 2005 when three men burst into her home
Credit: PA
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The family of Lucy Hargreaves, 22, have appealed for anyone with information to come forward
Credit: PA
The intruders then set fire to the home in Lambourne Road, while the victim's partner, Gary Campbell and two-year-old daughter cheated death by escaping through an upstairs window.
Police arrested 21 people as part of their investigations, but no-one has been convicted for their role in Lucy's tragic death.
It's believed the gang were looking for Mr Campbell.
Campbell had allegedly been a passenger in a stolen car that had hit and killed a young boy 12 years earlier, supposedly the motive for the shooting.
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He denied he was in the car at the time.
Cops have continued to urge anyone with information about a gold Lexus car which was reportedly dumped following the shooting to come forward.
A cluster of men are believed to have discarded the motor on Richard Kelly Drive, Clubmoor.
The individuals then raced towards Normandale Road.
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Detectives previously pointed to Kevin Thomas Parle as a person of interest.
Parle, who was believed to be living abroad, was also wanted in connection with the killing of 16-year-old Liam Kelly who was murdered in June 2004 in Dingle, Liverpool.
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Howard Rubbery, head of the Serious Crime Review Unit at Merseyside Police, said: "The family remain absolutely devastated by Lucy's death.
"It's important to note Lucy is an absolutely innocent victim. She's not from a family of criminality. She wasn't involved in criminality.
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"The hunt for Kevin Parle is very much on, and we ask anybody with information, anybody who is close to Parle and knows where he is, to please come forward.
"There were three males responsible for this offence and we are looking for justice for Lucy's family in relation to all three.
"I do believe that there are people out there who have yet to speak to the police, even though it's 20 years on, who hold information that's absolutely vital to our investigation."
Two decades on from Lucy's death, her brave family released a previously unshared photograph of the mother-of-three, taken at college.
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They said: "Over the past 20 years, people will have talked with family and friends.
"A number of people were contacted by males using a phone that was stolen, along with a vehicle used in Lucy's murder.
"The people who received those calls, along with others, could have information which could be crucial in achieving justice for Lucy, her parents, sister, children and all her extended family and friends.
"We appeal directly to them to please come forward.
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"Now is the time."
Ms Hargreaves' family, who said they "miss her every single day", welcomed a focus on tackling violence against women and girls in recent years.
They praised the families of other victims of gun crime, including the mothers of nine-year-old Olivia Pratt Korbel and Ashley Dale, 28, who were shot in their homes in separate incidents in Liverpool in August 2022.
The family said: "We greatly admire the determination and guts of the families of those who have more recently been killed as a result of gun crime here in Merseyside.
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"The mums of both Ashley Dale and Olivia Pratt Korbel have led a real and powerful community challenge to men of violence."
The family added: "We consider ourselves to be an ordinary local family with strong roots in the Walton, Norris Green, Croxteth and Dovecot areas of Liverpool.
"Lucy's nanny Joyce was a strong mother of eight who had to cope with the loss of three granddaughters in her lifetime - including Lucy.
"Her nanny Betty, left a widow aged 35 with six children to bring up, was awarded the British Empire Medal for her services to nursing as an auxiliary nurse in the Royal Liverpool Hospital.
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"They were two strong local women typical of their generation, and Lucy too was a strong woman who could have achieved so much had she only been given the opportunity."
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Police previously said they wanted to speak to Kevin Thomas Parle in connection with Ms Hargreaves' murder
Credit: NCA
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