Cochran trial: Doctor says insulin killed Michael Cochran, state rests

BECKLEY, W.Va. — A forensic pathologist testified Wednesday in the murder trial of former Raleigh County pharmacist Natalie Cochran that her husband’s 2019 death was by homicide.

Dr. Paul Uribe (Court TV)

Raleigh County prosecutors allege Cochran used insulin to kill Michael Cochran after he had grown suspicious about their defense contracting business. Natalie Cochran was running a Ponzi scheme through the businesses.

The state rested its case after it called its final witnesses to the stand Wednesday.

Expert witness Dr. Paul Uribe conducted a second autopsy on Michael Cochran’s body after it was exhumed a second time as part of the murder investigation. He testified Wednesday there was no insulin in Cochran’s remains by the time he did the autopsy, a few years after his death, but putting all of the medical records together, he believes someone gave him insulin and killed him.

“Given the entirety of the circumstances, including the initial autopsy findings, the second autopsy findings, which there weren’t much, the history of profound hypoglycemia. which is very much unexplained, I came to the conclusion that the cause of the death was exogenous insulin administration,” Uribe said.

Uribe said there is no other viable explanation for Cochran’s blood sugar level diving to a life-threatening level.

“The only reasonable conclusion I could make is that he was given insulin,” Uribe said.

He told the jury Michael Cochran’s death was by homicide.

“There is no evidence that he administered insulin himself. People don’t accidentally administer insulin to himself,” Uribe said.

Uribe admitted much of the evidence in the case is circumstantial but all of the dots connect to homicide by poisoning.

Natalie Cochran’s attorney Stan Seldon pressed Uribe for a more certain answer.

Timothy Bledsoe (Court TV)

“Can you say with absolute medical certainty that exogenous insulin administration was the cause of Michael Cochran’s…death?”

Uribe said, “I don’t use the term absolute for anything.”

The defense says Michael Cochran injecting himself with insulin as part of his body-building efforts.

Also on the stand Wednesday was retired West Virginia State Police Sgt. Timothy Bledsoe, the chief investigator in the case. Bledsoe said the evidence shows Michael Cochran knew nothing of the Ponzi scheme.

Defense attorney Matthew Victor asked Bledsoe how it’s possible Michael Cochran knew nothing when the couple had nearly $500 million in assets.

The defense is set to present its case beginning Thursday.

The trial is being streamed live by Court TV. 





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