Trial for Natalie Cochran is continued again

BECKLEY, WV (WVNS) — Raleigh County Circuit Court Judge, H.L. Kirkpatrick agreed on Tuesday, October 8, 2024, to continue the trial of Natalie Cochran, a former Daniels pharmacist accused of killing her husband in 2019.

Judge Kirkpatrick made the decision after Raleigh County Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Tom Truman, who was just assigned to the case last month, provided defense attorneys Matthew Victor and Stanley Selden with a hard drive that contains the state’s evidence against Cochran.

For several hours on Tuesday, a defense investigator combed through the state’s files to compare them with files that had been previously provided to Cochran’s defense attorneys.

Late Tuesday afternoon, Kirkpatrick agreed that Cochran’s attorneys needed more time to prepare her defense.

The trial date was set for October 28, 2024.

“The state owed the defense some discovery, which we have complied with today, but the defense has not had sufficient time to prepare by the 28th,” Truman said.

He added that all of the data, which is a massive amount, had not been transferred because of a glitch in the system.

“It looked like it had loaded, but it hadn’t,” said Truman.

A new trial date was not set immediately on Tuesday, said Truman.

The case has received national attention .

Kirkpatrick is set to retire at the end of 2024, and attorneys expressed a desire for Judge Kirkpatrick to continue hearing the case.

“It makes no sense for somebody else to hear this case,” said Truman. “This is not a great case to start off your judicial career. It really isn’t.”

Cochran’s trial has been continued multiple times.

Defense attorneys had made a motion asking for a dismissal or a continuance, citing an incomplete discovery process.

Kirkpatrick denied the defense’s request to dismiss the case.

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