On January 29, Natalie Cochran, a former pharmacist from West Virginia, was found guilty of first-degree murder in connection with the 2019 death of her husband, Michael Cochran, 38.
After only two hours of deliberation, the Raleigh County jury convicted her guilty. Cochran’s attempt to prevent her husband from discovering a $2 million Ponzi scam she had been running was the reason behind the murder.
Cochran pretended to be a government contractor in order to scam investors out of millions of dollars during the 2017–2019 scheme.
Prosecutors claimed that rather of investing the money she was given, Cochran spent it on jewelry, real estate, and even a vintage 1965 Shelby Cobra.
When Cochran entered a guilty plea to federal charges of wire fraud and money laundering in 2020, her fraudulent practices were exposed. She was given an 11-year prison sentence as part of her plea deal.
She was also mandated to reimburse her victims for around $2.6 million. Her husband’s murder was nevertheless a major factor in the case, even though she had previously entered a guilty plea for financial crimes.
According to the prosecution, Cochran killed her husband because he had begun to suspect her business activities, especially a government contract company they jointly operated.
Prosecutor Ashley Acord put up the notion during the trial that Michael Cochran had grown more worried about money he was owed from the company, money his wife was unable to produce because of the Ponzi scheme.
According to Acord, Natalie Cochran had to decide whether to tell her husband about the fraudulent activities or take drastic steps to keep him from learning about them.
Cochran decided to kill her husband as a result of her decision to choose the latter.
Natalie informed pals that Michael Cochran wasn’t feeling well on the day of his death. She refused to take him to the hospital when they pushed her to, saying she would let him “sleep it off.”
Coast Guard Intercepts Boat Carrying 21 Illegal Immigrants Near San Diego
Michael passed away five days later. Later, it was discovered that a deadly dosage of insulin had been put into him.
Cochran has been found guilty of first-degree murder and could receive a life sentence.
After completing 15 years of her sentence, the jury will decide on her eligibility for release on January 30.
The disturbing combination of a financial fraud scheme and a planned murder to cover up the illegal behavior has drawn a lot of attention to the case, making many people wonder how far some people will go to hide their wrongdoings.
Leave a Comment