'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
20/20 is all set to return with a new episode on Friday, February 14, 2025, covering the brutal murder of Michael Cochran, which shook the close-knit community of Beckley, West Virginia, to the core. The case is fairly recent, and it was only weeks back that the final justice was delivered in this murder.
20/20's upcoming episode, which premieres on February 14, 2025, at 9.00 PM EST, will cover the murder with exclusive interviews and insights from the people involved in the murder. The synopsis for the episode reads:
"A young couple is living a lavish lifestyle in rural West Virginia; when a con unravels their close-knit community, foul play leads to murder; authorities begin the hunt for a killer."
Trending
While Michael Cochran's death was initially assumed to be an accident, the many secrets of the murder were slowly uncovered over the following years, and it ultimately led to Natalie Cochran, Michael's wife.
Meet a little girl with a big heart RIGHT HERE
Ahead of the episode of 20/20, let us go over the details of the murder.
Who was Michael Cochran, and what happened to him?
Michael Cochran was born on December 23, 1980, in the small town of Beckley, West Virginia. As a person deeply connected to his roots, he decided to build his life in a close-knit community. In 2000, he married Natalie Jessup, and the couple settled down in Beckley.
Michael worked as a computer specialist and Natalie as a pharmacist, and together, they managed to build a comfortable life. They even had two kids. In the 2010s, Natalie and Michael started a contracting business, where many of their acquaintances invested heavily.
While nothing seemed to be going wrong for Michael and Natalie Cochran, things changed abruptly on February 6, 2019, when Natalie reported that Michael was feeling unwell but refused to take him to the hospital when friends asked. He was only taken to the hospice when his condition continued to worsen. On February 11, 2019, Michael Cochran passed away at the age of 38.
Initially, there were doubts that he passed away from natural causes, but when his body was exhumed, authorities ascertained that it was indeed a homicide. During this time, Natalie Cochran was also found guilty of running a Ponzi Scheme worth $2 million where she took money from investors pretending to be a government contractor and used it all for her own purchases.
She pleaded guilty to federal wire fraud and money laundering and was sentenced to 135 months in prison. After this, she was indicted for Michael Cochran's poisoning, but the charges were initially dropped.
When Michael's body was exhumed in 2023, and it was determined positively that he was poisoned with insulin, Natalie Cochran was charged again in 2023. The prosecution alleged that she poisoned Michael because he found out about her fraudulent scheme and was questioning about it.
To stop Michael Cochran from blowing the whistle on the case, she poisoned and killed him. Ultimately, it did not take long for the jury to determine that Natalie was guilty of the murder.
She was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
The upcoming episode of 20/20 on ABC will cover this case in more detail. Stay tuned for updates.
