Episode 25: Love, Lies, & Murder - The Kelly Cochran Story

This week, Jacob takes Hunter on a deep dive into the disturbing story of Kelly Cochran—a woman whose ordinary Midwestern life eventually unraveled into murder, manipulation, and a trail of conflicting stories.After moving to Michigan with her husband Jason, Kelly began an affair with coworker Chris Regan. What followed was a deadly chain of events involving a supposed “murder pact,” Chris's disappearance, his remains being hidden in the Michigan wilderness, and eventually Jason's own death.But Kelly wasn't done telling her story. As investigators closed in, she changed her story again and again, leaving detectives to separate the truth from the lies. One investigator decided to play Kelly at her own game—and a simple message carved into a tree would finally push her toward a confession.Jacob takes Hunter through the murders, the investigation, Kelly's ever-changing stories, her conviction, and the disturbing claims that she may have been responsible for even more deaths.How do you catch someone who never stops changing their story?This episode contains discussion of murder, drug use, sexual content, dismemberment, and other disturbing subject matter.TakeawaysKelly Cochran's relationship with Jason and the events that led to their move to MichiganThe affair between Kelly and Chris Regan and the alleged Cochrane murder pactChris Regan's disappearance and the evidence connecting him to the Cochrane homeJason Cochran's death and how it reopened the investigationThe detective who turned Kelly's manipulation tactics against herKelly's changing stories, confession, and eventual convictionsThe unproven claims that Kelly may have been connected to additional murdersThe importance of separating the evidence from the mythology surrounding a caseChapters00:00 Introduction01:35 Why Female Killers Get Attention08:53 Kelly Cochran's Early Life10:16 Kelly and Jason15:23 Jason's Chronic Pain20:27 Moving to Michigan22:58 Chris Regan25:51 The Affair34:17 The Love Triangle36:31 The Cochrane Murder Pact39:26 The Night Chris Regan Disappeared41:25 Kelly's First Version of Events44:45 The Dismemberment49:34 Chris's Remains Are Hidden52:01 Chris Is Reported Missing57:58 Kelly and Jason Return to Indiana01:00:33 Jason's Death01:05:26 The Investigation Turns01:13:01 The Detective's Game01:15:59 "Chris Is Here"01:18:18 The Search for Chris01:21:53 Kelly Flees01:23:54 Another Story01:27:52 Chris's Remains Are Found01:30:25 Kelly's Trial01:31:59 Conviction