Gruesome details released in murder case at court hearing

CRYSTAL FALLS — Kelly Cochran, the woman facing an open murder in the disappearance and death of Christopher Regan, appeared in Iron County Trial Court Tuesday morning for her preliminary exam.

“I knew something happened to him when he hadn’t come to the apartment in a while, the dishes were crusted over in the sink.”

On October 27th, 2014, Terri O’Donnell filed a missing persons report with the Iron River Police Department. She had not heard from her friend, Chris Regan for two weeks.

Regan was preparing to move from Iron River to North Carolina for a new job. That’s when he disappeared.

During their investigation, police found Regan’s car, a 2013 Hyundai Genesis- at the Park & Go in Bates Township. Inside the car, police found a post-it note, with directions on it- to the house of Kelly & Jason Cochran in Iron River.

“It told her that the car has been located out in the Park & Go in Bates and he was not with the car,” said Sgt. Cindy Barrette (Ret.) of the Iron River Police Department.

“Did she say anything about the finding of the vehicle?” said Iron County Prosecutor Melissa Powell.

“She made a statement that he had loved that car, in the past tense,” replied Barrette.

Police talked with 34-year-old Kelly Cochran, who revealed that she was in an intimate relationship with Regan. They were together four to five times a week.

Cochran told police she last visited with Regan on October 14th, the same day his cell phone last worked. Cochran also had a brief relationship with another man, Eric Ericson, who was called in to testify.

On October 23rd, 2014, Cochran said something to Ericson that stuck out in his mind/.

“Did you ask her specifically or did she say specifically why you had heard from her?” said Powell.

“I hadn’t heard from her, in the night she finally came back and I asked what had happened and she said that she was helping a friend with a very big problem,” replied Ericson.

Several of Cochran’s neighbors also testified at the preliminary exam. They reported hearing power tools running in the middle of the night on one occasion and a gunshot on another.

“I went outside and heard a horn and then went sounded like a man’s voice, I couldn’t see him well but I knew it was a man. I said lets hurry and get the hell out of here,” said Caroline Miatech, who lived next to the Cochrans.

In March of 2015, police came back to the Cochran residence. That’s when they took off for Indiana, where Kelly’s mom lived.

Iron River Police Chief Laura Frizzo was also called to the stand. During Frizzo’s interview in April with Kelly Cochran, Kelly admitted that her husband shot Regan in the back of the head on October 14th, 2014 at the Cochran’s home when the two were starting to get intimate.

She added that Jason dismembered his body, drove Regan’s car to the Park & Go in Bates Township, and took his remains to Pentoga Trail. Police did find human remains on Pentoga Trail back in May.

Cochran’s preliminary exam was scheduled to continue on September 27th. According to ABC 10 Iron County Bureau Reporter Jennifer Farley, Judge Joseph Schwedler announced Tuesday afternoon that there was enough evidence against Cochran to move the case forward to circuit court.

Cochran is scheduled to be arraigned in circuit court on October 11th on charges of open murder, conspiracy to commit dead bodies, concealing the death of an individual, lying to a peace officer during a violent crime investigation, accessory after the fact to a felony and larceny of a building.

In August, Cochran was also charged in the murder of her husband in Lake County, Illinois.