Natalie Cochran, a pharmacist from West Virginia, has been charged with first-degree murder in her husband Michael Cochran’s death. They had been married for nearly two decades when he died on February 11, 2019. This is not her first run-in with the law. In 2021, she pleaded guilty to several charges, including federal wire fraud. She was sentenced to 135 months in federal prison. Now, she stands trial for the murder of her husband while she carries out her previous sentence. If she is convicted of his murder, she faces an additional life in prison.
Ponzi Scheme and Murder Charges
In 2021, Cochran was sentenced for running a Ponzi scheme in which she frauded investors millions of dollars, including her parents-in-law. Although some documents indicated that Michael Cochran was involved, the judge found that Natalie continued her scheme even longer. U.S. District Court Judge Frank Volk said, “She was attempting to continue the perpetration of her extensive fraud and even in a more robust and thoughtful way.”
Cochran was indicted on murder charges in November 2021, but the prosecution dismissed those charges in April 2023 to exhume Michael’s body for further forensic evidence. Six months later, in October 2023, she was indicted again. They are accusing her of poisoning her husband with insulin because he was on the verge of realizing he was involved in her Ponzi scheme. Her defense does not deny that she is a criminal, but they argue she is not a murderer.
At her Federal sentencing hearing, Cochran said, “When Michael began to take steroids and using illicit supplements, he was taking far and above the normal doses and processing controversial alternative therapies.” She continued, “It became his addiction. … Every day, I wish Mike were here. I wish he hadn’t left me to deal with this alone. I wish that he had never started the drugs.” During her murder trial, several witnesses account for his use of substances and that he was sick in the months leading up to his death.
Natalie Cochran’s Trial Updates
The first day of the continuing trial began on January 15, 2025. After calling their witnesses and experts to testify, the prosecution rested its case on Day 5. The main dispute in her trial is what occurred on February 6, 2019, when Michael collapsed. The prosecution’s final witness was a West Virginia State Police Trooper who investigated Michael’s death. He testified that Natalie told three different versions of what happened the day her husband collapsed.
In her initial interview on April 8, 2019, Cochran told the trooper she and her husband were home together when Michael went to the kitchen. All of a sudden, there was a thud around 10:00 a.m. When she went into the kitchen to investigate, she found Michael on the floor. Near him, on the counter, was a bottle of supplements to boost testosterone. However, on May 7, she claimed she and Michael had been together in the living room before he went into the kitchen, fell, and hit his head on the countertop. She said she found the supplements in the cabinet.
The following day, on May 8, Natalie said they had gone their separate ways until she came home and found Michael asleep on the couch. After an hour or so, he went into the kitchen and collapsed. When she entered the kitchen to check on him, she claimed to see him injecting himself in his back with insulin. Dr. Paul Uribe testified to the alleged injection, stating Michael must have died from an overdose of insulin due to his incredibly low glucose levels.
The Latest Day of Trial
The day after the prosecution rested their case, Cochran’s children took the stand in her defense. They insist their father’s diet consisted of excess use of steroids and supplements. According to them, he was considerably ill the November before his death. They testified that their father desired to be physically fit beyond recognition. Although he did seem to have the physique of a fit person, they noticed in the months leading to his death that he complained of dizziness, headaches, and forgetfulness.
Natalie’s son also touched on his demeanor with the family. He claimed his father was jealous and controlling. If anyone were to hit on his mother, they would be met with his father’s wrath. He also mentioned that his father was a spender. Michael constantly worked on contracts no matter the surrounding circumstances, and when they had “too much” cash, he would buy properties, boats, and vehicles.
On Day 1 of the trial, prosecuting attorney Tom Truman truthfully admitted to there being no DNA evidence that Natalie Cochran murdered her husband. However, they believe there is enough circumstantial evidence to convict her. The biggest nail in the coffin is her Ponzi scheme, and they intend to convict her of murder using her previous conviction, which is completely irrelevant.
