A West Virginia pharmacist was sentenced to life in prison for poisoning her husband with insulin when he threatened to uncover her $2 million Ponzi scheme — which she spent on lavish purchases including a 1965 Shelby Cobra.
A jury in Raleigh County Circuit Court handed down a “no mercy” sentence for Natalie Cochran, 42, last week, meaning she won’t be eligible for parole, according to WV Metro News.
She was convicted of killing her 38-year-old husband, Michael Cochran, in 2019 to keep secret her scam, CBS News reported.
Cochran was sentenced to life for the fatal poisoning of her husband, Michael Cochran, with a dose of insulin in 2019. Court TV/Youtube
The murder charges against Cochran for the death of her husband were dropped briefly so Michael’s body could be re-exhumed. Court TV/YoutubeFrom 2017 to 2019, Natalie ran a $2 million Ponzi scheme by posing as a government contractor and defrauding investors out of millions of dollars and blowing the ill-gotten gains on real estate, jewelry and the vintage hot-rod, according to the US Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of West Virginia.
She used the cash to fund a lavish lifestyle — buying real estate, jewelry, and a Cobra, the feds said.
Cochran was already serving an 11-year sentence after pleading guilty in 2020 to federal wire fraud and money laundering, when she was hit with murder charges in November 2021, according to the outlet.
The murder charges against Cochran for the death of her husband were dropped briefly so Michael’s body could be re-exhumed for advanced testing by a forensic pathologist, Dr. Paul Urbie, the outlet said.
Upon investigating Michael’s body, Dr. Urbie confirmed Michael died because nonprescribed insulin was introduced to his body, and officially ruled his death a homicide.
Cochran was already serving an 11-year sentence for operating a $2 million Ponzi scheme. Court TV/YoutubeDuring her murder trial, prosecutors argued Cochran killed her husband after a government contract for a business they owned began to raise eyebrows, Court TV reported.
Throughout the trial, prosecutors introduced evidence that Michael had grown increasingly worried about the money he was expecting from the business, which Cochran was unable to show him, the outlet said.
On the day Michael died, she told friends he wasn’t feeling well, the outlet said.
Cochran told friends she instructed Michael to “sleep it off” when he was feeling unwell after the poisoning. Court TV/YoutubeDespite friends’ protests to take Michael to the hospital, Cochran told them she would let him “sleep it off,” according to the report.
Michael died five days later, the outlet reported.
Cochran burst into tears when she heard the guilty verdict Wednesday, which took the jury only two hours to reach.
She was also previously ordered to pay nearly $2.6 million in restitution for the wire fraud and money laundering conviction, according to the feds.
