January 29, 2025 - 11:06 AM
BECKLEY, W.Va. (AP) — A West Virginia pharmacist already serving a federal prison sentence in a fraud case was convicted Wednesday in state court in the killing of her husband.
A jury found Natalie Cochran guilty of first-degree murder in Raleigh County Circuit Court, news outlets reported. The jury now must determine whether Cochran would be eligible for parole after serving 15 years. The charge carries a maximum penalty of life in prison.
Cochran’s husband, Michael Cochran, 38, died in February 2019. Prosecutors said Natalie Cochran poisoned him with insulin so that he wouldn't find out about a $2 million Ponzi scheme that she admitted to operating from 2017 to 2019.
Natalie Cochran was sentenced in March 2021 to 11 years for pretending to be a government contractor and defrauding investors out of millions of dollars. Federal prosecutors said she tricked investors into thinking she owned two successful businesses with government contracts. Authorities said she never invested the money, instead using some of it to buy a 1965 Shelby Cobra classic car, two properties and jewelry.
News from © The Associated Press, 2025