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Michael Cochran was 38 when he died suddenly in Beckley, West Virginia, in February 2019. At first, no one thought much of it. His wife, Natalie Cochran, told people he wasn’t feeling well and just needed some rest.
Five days later, after being admitted to the hospital with dangerously low blood sugar, Michael passed away in hospice care. Doctors couldn’t save him. For a while, it looked like a tragic but natural death. Then the story took a turn.
Natalie, a former pharmacist and co-founder of Tactical Solutions Group, was already drawing attention for a different reason. Investigators uncovered that she was running a fraudulent investment scheme estimated at around $2 million.
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She had convinced friends and family to invest by claiming she held government contracts. It wasn’t true—none of it was. According to prosecutors, Michael had started asking questions and was scheduled to confront the truth on the very day he collapsed.
In January 2025, Natalie Cochran went to trial and was found guilty of killing her husband. She was sentenced to life without parole. The case was later featured in the Dateline episode The Devil's in the Details and drew national interest for its blend of financial deception and cold, calculated intent.
Michael Cochran murder timeline explored: Key developments in the case from 2017 to 2025
In 2017, Michael Cochran and his wife, Natalie Cochran, launched Tactical Solutions Group (TSG), a business promoted as a government contracting firm. Natalie, a pharmacist by profession, claimed to have access to lucrative contracts and convinced friends, family, and local community members to invest.
By 2019, the couple had reportedly raised nearly $2.5 million, but federal prosecutors later stated that no government contracts ever existed and that TSG was operating as a Ponzi scheme. According to multiple sources, including ABC News and CBS, Natalie used investor money for personal gain, purchasing properties, vehicles, and luxury items.
February 2019: Michael Cochran's sudden collapse
On February 6, 2019, Michael Cochran was scheduled to travel with Natalie to a Bank of America branch in Virginia to check on funds they were expecting from the supposed contracts. That morning, Natalie canceled the trip and later sent friends a photo of Michael unconscious on their kitchen floor.
Despite being urged by others to seek medical help, Natalie reportedly said Michael did not want to go to the hospital. Hours later, he was taken to a hospital in Beckley, West Virginia, with a critically low blood glucose level of 21. He was diagnosed with cerebral edema and placed in hospice care. Michael Cochran died five days later, on February 11, 2019, at age 38.
The fraud conviction and renewed investigation
In 2020, Natalie Cochran pleaded guilty to federal wire fraud and money laundering charges and was sentenced in March 2021 to 11 years in prison, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney's Office in the Southern District of West Virginia.
As the fraud case concluded, state investigators reopened the inquiry into Michael Cochran's death. A vial of insulin found during a 2019 search of the Cochran home prompted authorities to reexamine the case.
His body was exhumed for further forensic testing. In November 2021, Natalie was indicted for first-degree murder, though the charge was temporarily dropped and refiled in October 2023 after new evidence emerged.
January 2025: Trial and conviction
Natalie Cochran's murder trial began in January 2025 and was streamed live by CourtTV. Prosecutors alleged that she injected Michael with insulin to prevent him from discovering her financial fraud.
The state presented expert testimony linking his death to insulin poisoning, citing a lack of alternative causes. Defense attorneys argued that Michael had underlying health issues and used unregulated supplements. They contended that while Natalie’s actions may have been deceptive, they were not homicidal.
On January 29, 2025, a jury in Raleigh County Circuit Court found Natalie Cochran guilty of first-degree murder. The next day, the jury declined to grant mercy, sentencing her to life in prison without parole.
Dateline and public reaction
The story gained national attention after Dateline aired an episode titled The Devil's in the Details on April 25, 2025. The broadcast took a closer look at Michael Cochran’s death and uncovered the layers of the Ponzi scheme behind it.
Michael’s family appeared in the episode and shared how the loss had changed their lives. His mother, Donna Bolt, spoke about the pain the trial brought and the questions that never went away.
By February 2025, Natalie Cochran’s defense team had filed a motion for acquittal. They claimed the trial was flawed and said the evidence was not strong enough to justify a murder conviction.
Stay tuned for more updates.
