BECKLEY, W.Va. –Convicted murderer Natalie Cochran will spend the rest of her life in prison.
The jury unanimously decided Thursday evening not to grant her mercy, which would have given her life with the possibility of parole after 15 years in prison. On Wednesday the same jury convicted Cochran of murder of the first degree, in the murder of her husband Michael Cochran who passed away from a lethal dose of insulin in 2019.
Judge H.L. Kirkpatrick read the jury verdict in court.
Natalie showed no emotion while the verdict was being read.
And before they were done for the day, the judge sentenced her formally.
“It is the judgement and the ruling of the court, that the defendant Natalie Paige Cochran be and she is committed to the penitentiary of this state for her natural life without the possibility of parole,” Kirkpatrick said.
Prior to the verdict, the jury heard testimony, all day Wednesday, from friends and family of Natalie and family and friends of Michael.
Natalie’s mother, Daphne Jessup took the stand in her defense to plead with the jury to give her daughter mercy, for the sake of her children.
“I do, I beg, I don’t know what else I can say except please give mercy to her, it won’t be for me probably, but it would be for her children and her grandchildren someday,” she said.
Her children also got on the stand in their mother’s defense.
Her son, pleaded with the jury to give her mercy because he wants her to be able to have a relationship with her future grandchildren.
He said that if they didn’t give her mercy, they wouldn’t be changing her life, they would be changing their lives too.
“I just hope you all understand that it’s not just her life that y’all are picking and choosing to mess with, it’s the kids too and the whole families and a lot of us want our mom back, really want her back, I just beg that you give her mercy, she’s a great woman,” he said.
Nicole Cochran, Natalie’s daughter was also brought to the stand. She described her mom as her best friend and that she would do anything for her, like watching YouTube tutorials of how she wanted her hair done for tennis.
She said that she has missed out on the opportunities to have her at birthdays, graduation, and prom and that she didn’t want to miss out on anymore.
“I’m begging you to give her mercy, so I don’t have to miss more, I want her at my birthdays in the future, I want her there when I get married, when I have kids if I’m able, I want her there for all the major milestones in my life that I have left,” she said.
Cochran’s attorney asked her if she had any malice towards her mom and she said no, that she loves her and that it hasn’t changed.
After the defense rested their case, the prosecution began making their case for why she shouldn’t be granted mercy.
Donna Bolt, Michael’s mother, said that since his death, Natalie hasn’t said sorry for what she did.
“As we approach six years since Michael’s murder, February 11, 2019, we as a family have had to endure the glacial process of prosecuting Natalie Paige Cochran for murdering our Michael Brandon while we also mourn his death, to this day this vile being has shown no remorse, none what-so-ever,” Bolt said.
She also said that Natalie had sent her pictures of Michael while he was in the ICU hooked up to ventilators and told her that she couldn’t come to the hospital.
Another person was Ed Bolt, Michael’s step father.
He called Cochran the face of evil and a manipulator, because of the deceit and lies she spewed before she was in federal prison for the Ponzi scheme.
He said he misses Michael every day.
“I miss him, I miss “hey buddy, what’s going on, what are you up too,” he said. “Seems like a small thing, but it’s the small things that I cherish the most, I think of Michael every day.”
Raleigh County assistant prosecuting attorney’s Tom Truman and Ashley Accord were very pleased with Thursday outcome.
“I’m very happy to see this outcome today, we have worked on this tirelessly, it has been, like Tom said in other words an uphill battle. I am so happy that this jury saw through her and saw through what she is,” Accord said after the verdict came back. “I’m sorry for her family and for her children that they have to live with this now, knowing that she will be behind bars for her life, but I do believe that this is justice served.”
A post-trial hearing has been set for February 25 at 9 a.m.