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Jury convicts Cochran of murder in IR man’s death

KELLY COCHRAN WAS on the witness stand for a second day Monday for cross-examination by Iron County Prosecutor Melissa Powell. The jury is expected to begin deliberations today in Cochran’s trial on homicide-open murder and other charges. (Nikki Younk/Daily News photo)

CRYSTAL FALLS — A jury has found Kelly Cochran guilty of first-degree murder and all other charges for the October 2014 killing of Christopher Regan, an Iron River co-worker with whom she she was having an affair.

Cochran, 34, reportedly lured the 53-year-old Regan to her Caspian home on Oct. 14, 2014, and began having sex with him when her now-deceased husband, Jason Cochran, emerged from the basement and fatally shot Regan in the back of the head, investigators testified.

The couple then worked together to dismember the body with a reciprocating saw and hide the remains off Pentoga Trail in Crystal Falls Township, according to court testimony.

The jury began deliberations at 12:43 p.m. Central time to consider six charges in the case: homicide-open murder, a life felony; conspiracy to commit dead bodies-disinterment and mutilation, a 10-year felony; concealing the death of an individual, a five-year felony; accessory after the fact to a felony, a five-year felony; larceny in a building, a four-year felony; and lying to a peace officer-violent crime investigation, a four-year felony.

They returned about 3:30 p.m. with a verdict of guilty on all charges.

The trial began with jury selection Feb. 13 and included Cochran taking the stand in her own defense Friday and Monday. She and her attorney have maintained she didn’t know her husband planned to kill Regan and that Jason Cochran was an abusive spouse who threatened and intimidated her into helping conceal the remains.

Cochran faces another murder charge out of Indiana’s Lake County for the death of Jason Cochran, which she reportedly committed as revenge for Regan’s murder, according to court documents.

See Wednesday’s Daily News or check back at www.ironmountaindailynews.com for updates.

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