Kriti Mehrotra
In October 2014, Air Force veteran Christopher Regan vanished without a trace left behind from his house around Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, only for one of his prime suspects, Jason Cochran, to die less than a year and a half later. However, as explored in ID’s ‘Dead North’ as well as ABC’s ’20/20: Where Monsters Hide,’ the men were passed away in different ways, and yet, the latter’s wife, Kelly Marie Cochran, had a hand in both. So now, if you wish to know more about her, her motives, and her current standing, along with any other allegations against her, we’ve got you covered.
Who is Kelly Cochran?
Born on June 5, 1982, Kelly Marie Cochran grew up in Merrillville, Indiana, about an hour away from Chicago, with Jason Cochran as her next-door neighbor. They slowly fell in love, and in 2002, soon after graduating high school, they elected to start a new chapter of their lives by tying the knot. Despite their opposite personalities — with her being rather outspoken and him keeping to himself — they made things work because they always had an understanding. In fact, on their wedding night, the couple made a pact that if one of them were ever unfaithful, they’d kill their lover.
In 2013, Kelly and Jason moved to Michigan, but since their marriage had started to crumble apart, she allegedly found comfort in affairs, including one with Christopher Regan. After that went downhill, though, the couple returned to Indiana, but not before they purportedly served ground-up human remains, possibly Chris’, at a barbecue in the form of hamburgers. Then, on February 20, 2016, Kelly deliberately slew her husband and spent a couple of months answering questions from the police before going under the radar. She was apprehended in Kentucky on April 28.
Kelly Cochran is Still in Jail
Kelly Cochran revealed the entire truth shortly following her arrest — detailing everything from her and Jason’s actions to the site of Chris’ dismembered remains to why she ultimately chose to kill her husband. She’d genuinely started to fall for her lover, so she was mad at her husband for taking away “the only good thing I had in my life.” Kelly told detectives, “I still hate him, and yes, it was revenge. I evened the score.”
There are other claims — some from her own family members — that she could be a serial killer with at least nine additional victims, yet no further criminal charges have ever been brought against her. Therefore, in early 2017, Kelly was found guilty of five counts related to the homicide of Chris Regan, and around April 2018, she pleaded guilty to the murder of Jason Cochran.
Thus, her sentence includes a life term without the possibility of parole for first-degree murder, 6-10 years for conspiracy to mutilate a dead body, 3-5 years for concealing the death of a person, and 2.5-4 years for lying to a peace officer, along with up to 65 years for the 2016 homicide. Kelly has since tried to appeal her conviction in Chris’ case, but it was denied by both the District and the Supreme Court. Hence, today, at the age of 41, she is incarcerated at the Women’s Huron Valley Correctional Facility in Pittsfield Charter Township, Michigan.
Read More: Christopher Regan Murder: Is Jason Cochran Dead or Alive?
