Murder of Michael Brandon Cochran

Michael Brandon Cochran died on February 11, 2019, six days after his wife, Natalie Paige Cochran, allegedly injected him with nonprescribed insulin at their home in Raleigh County, West Virginia. According to prosecutors, Michael had grown suspicious of the couple's contracting business and planned to travel to Virginia to investigate their dealings further. On February 5, 2019, Natalie Cochran canceled his flight and injected him with insulin. As his condition deteriorated, she reportedly told friends he would "sleep it off" and refused to take him to a hospital. He died days later.

Separately from the murder case, Natalie Cochran, a pharmacist by training, operated a Ponzi scheme from 2017 to 2019 under the guise of a government contracting business. She persuaded at least 11 individuals to invest in two companies she controlled, Technology Management Solutions and Tactical Solutions Group, falsely claiming she held lucrative government contracts. Rather than investing the funds as promised, she used investor money for personal expenses, including real estate, jewelry, and a 1965 Shelby Cobra, and used later investors' funds to pay partial returns to earlier investors. One investor alone lost more than $500,000. The scheme totaled approximately $2.5 million in losses. Cochran pleaded guilty to wire fraud and money laundering on September 21, 2020, and was sentenced to 135 months in federal prison, along with an order to pay $2.5 million in restitution and forfeit assets obtained through the scheme.

In the state murder case, prosecutors argued that Cochran killed her husband to prevent him from uncovering her fraudulent activities. Forensic experts testified at trial that Michael's death was caused by nonprescribed insulin. The jury deliberated for less than two hours before returning a guilty verdict on the first-degree murder charge. Judge H.L. Kirkpatrick, who had earlier announced he would not seek re-election, presided over the trial by special appointment. In January 2025, Cochran was sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole, with the jury recommending no mercy.

The case prompted a legislative response in West Virginia. In February 2025, state lawmakers introduced House Bill 2789, known as the Michael Brandon Cochran Act, which would mandate that intensive care units conduct C-peptide insulin tests for unconscious patients or those presenting with hypoglycemia and blood glucose levels below 49 mg/dl, aiming to help detect similar cases of insulin misuse in the future.

The case received extensive national media coverage, including a feature on the ABC News program 20/20: Small Town Big Con, as well as coverage from CBS News, Dateline NBC, Court TV, and People magazine.