Witness testimony underway in Natalie Cochran trial

BECKLEY, WV (WOAY)- After years of delays, dropped charges and re-indictments, and a new prosecuting attorney, the murder trial for former Beckley pharmacist and convicted white-collar criminal Natalie Cochran is finally underway.

Natalie Cochran is accused of murdering her husband, Michael Cochran, who collapsed, went into a coma and died in 2019.

The drama surrounding the lead-up to the trial continued even after it officially began. Not even 24 hours after a jury was seated, a new problem emerged.

“Let me explain to counsel and the defendant that we already have a juror problem,” said Senior Status Judge H.L. Kirkpatrick shortly after the trial resumed for the day.

According to Kirkpatrick, one of the jurors selected on Tuesday could no longer serve after emailing the clerk overnight for several reasons. That forced the court to elevate one of its three alternate jurors, a solution both sides were agreeable to.

At the core of its argument, the state acknowledged that it doesn’t have any direct evidence. However, it feels that the circumstantial evidence is overwhelming.

“Judge Kirkpatrick will instruct you at the end of this that circumstantial evidence is just as valid as that type of direct and scientific evidence. And there is a ton of evidence of this defendant’s guilt,” Raleigh County Prosecuting Attorney Tom Truman said.

The defense, on the other hand, told the jury that Cochran’s conviction on white-collar crimes doesn’t mean she’s guilty of murder.

“She is perhaps a fraud and perhaps a cheat and you wouldn’t perhaps want to invite her home for a Sunday dinner. That you wouldn’t like her does not translate into her being a murderer,” Matthew Victor, one of Natalie Cochran’s attorneys, said.

Stanley Seldon is Cochran’s other defense attorney.

In their opening arguments, the state and defense gave two different portrayals of Michael Cochran’s health before his death.

Truman argued that Michael Cochran was a picture of health before he collapsed, so much so that a nurse commented she had “never seen a body come out of hospice that looked so good.”

On the other hand, Victor pointed to several hospital visits that Michael Cochran made in the years leading up to his death.

According to Truman, Cochran died of brain damage caused by too much insulin in his body. He allegedly collapsed on the kitchen floor.

Further, Truman argued that Natalie Cochran had every chance to get help for Michael after he collapsed. Instead, the state said she waited hours before a family friend took him to the hospital.

Natalie Cochran’s attorneys, on the other hand, said she was hesitant to take him because she knew that Michael Cochran hated hospitals.

The first witness called today was Robert Hinzman, who was the lead investigator in Natalie Cochran’s financial crimes charges that she pled guilty to in 2020.

Both sides questioned him extensively, focusing on Michael Cochran’s knowledge of the Ponzi scheme that Natalie Cochran is currently serving a federal prison sentence for.

Hinzman testified that his investigation indicated that Michael Cochran had no idea that the business was defrauding investors and still believed it to be a legitimate business.

Natalie Cochran’s attorneys argued Michael Cochran did know about the fraud and was benefiting from the money made from it.

The second witness was one of Natalie Cochran’s closest friends and neighbors, Jennifer Davis.

The two became friends when Natalie began assisting Davis with treatment for Davis’s son who had been diagnosed with diabetes.

According to her testimony, Natalie Cochran asked Davis for insulin on the morning that Michael collapsed in his kitchen. Davis testified that her husband dropped off the insulin that morning.

The state showed several text messages between Natalie Cochran, showing Natalie asking Davis for the insulin, pictures of Michael Cochran collapsed, and additional messages.

According to testimony, Davis’s husband stopped by later after Cochran had collapsed and was so concerned that he took him to the hospital.

Davis’s husband was also a victim of the Ponzi scheme. He is expected to testify in the trial.

The third witness brought today was John Hamilton, a West Virginia state trooper who testified as a private citizen.

He was friends with the Cochran family and was initially called to the house the day Michael collapsed by Natalie Cochran to help move Michael to the couch from the kitchen floor.

He was also concerned and testified that he and his wife tried to convince Natalie Cochran to take Michael Cochran to the hospital.

According to his testimony, his wife also lost money in Cochran’s Ponzi scheme.

In the redirect, the defense pressed Hamilton on Michael Cochran’s previous hospital visits and statements Michael Cochran made indicating he didn’t want to go to the hospital again.

The trial resumes tomorrow at 9 a.m.

Sponsored Content