Site icon 20/20 Tonight

Who Was Jason Cochran & What Happened to Him? 2026 Update & Profile

Ryan Gill

The name Jason Cochran became known across the United States as investigators uncovered one of the country’s most disturbing homicide cases. Initially viewed as the husband of convicted killer Kelly Cochran, the investigation later revealed that Jason himself played a central role in the murder of Christopher Regan before ultimately becoming Kelly’s second known victim.

ABC’s 20/20 revisits the case in Where Monsters Hide, examining how a missing person’s investigation in Michigan expanded into a multi-state murder investigation involving an alleged murder pact, two homicide prosecutions and years of detective work. While Kelly Cochran is serving life in prison, Jason Cochran died in 2016, leaving investigators to piece together his involvement in one murder before determining he had also been murdered.

Who Was Jason Cochran?

Jason Cochran lived with his wife, Kelly, in Iron River, Michigan, after the couple moved to the Upper Peninsula. Those who knew them described the pair as appearing to live an ordinary married life, though investigators later discovered their relationship was marked by secrecy and manipulation.

Jason worked in the local community and was known to neighbours and friends, but few people suspected the violent events that prosecutors later alleged had taken place inside the Cochran home.

According to investigators, Jason and Kelly maintained an unusually controlling relationship. During the investigation, detectives uncovered allegations that the couple had agreed to a so-called “murder pact” early in their marriage. Prosecutors said the agreement required either spouse to kill anyone with whom the other had an affair.

Whether the alleged pact began as fantasy or a genuine agreement remains impossible to fully verify, but investigators concluded it became central to understanding Christopher Regan’s disappearance.

Jason’s Role in the Murder of Christopher Regan

Christopher “Chris” Regan disappeared in October 2014 after developing a romantic relationship with Kelly Cochran.

Michigan prosecutors alleged that Kelly invited Regan to the Cochran home, where Jason was waiting. According to the prosecution’s case, Jason shot Regan inside the house after learning about the affair.

Investigators said Jason and Kelly then worked together to conceal the crime. Court testimony alleged that Regan’s body was dismembered before being transported to a wooded area, where the remains were hidden for more than a year.

When detectives eventually recovered Regan’s remains, the discovery became one of the most significant breakthroughs in the investigation and supported the prosecution’s account of what had occurred.

Life After Christopher Regan’s Death

Following Regan’s disappearance, Jason and Kelly continued living together without facing criminal charges. At the time, Christopher Regan was still considered a missing person, and investigators had not yet gathered enough evidence to prove what had happened.

The Cochrans later relocated from Michigan to Hobart, Indiana, seemingly leaving the investigation behind. Friends and neighbours had little reason to believe the couple was connected to a homicide investigation taking place hundreds of kilometres away.

Behind the scenes, however, detectives in Michigan continued examining the evidence surrounding Regan’s disappearance. They conducted interviews, reviewed phone records and maintained contact with other law enforcement agencies while searching for new leads.

Jason never faced criminal charges over Christopher Regan’s death because the investigation took a dramatic turn before prosecutors had the opportunity to bring a case against him.

Jason Cochran’s Death

On 20 February 2016, Kelly Cochran called emergency services from the couple’s home in Hobart, Indiana, reporting that Jason was unresponsive after what she described as a heroin overdose.

At first glance, the death appeared to be consistent with Kelly’s account. However, investigators soon identified inconsistencies that prompted a more detailed investigation.

Medical evidence and forensic findings led detectives to conclude Jason’s death was not accidental. Prosecutors alleged Kelly had injected Jason with a lethal dose of heroin before strangling him.

His death transformed the investigation. What had begun as an inquiry into Christopher Regan’s disappearance now involved a second homicide, bringing together investigators from Indiana and Michigan to examine both cases simultaneously.

The Investigation Into Jason’s Murder

Indiana detectives worked closely with investigators already examining Christopher Regan’s disappearance. As information was shared between the two states, authorities began connecting the events surrounding both deaths.

Kelly Cochran eventually admitted killing Jason, although she offered different explanations during interviews. According to court documents, she told investigators she killed her husband because he had taken “the only good thing” in her life through Christopher Regan’s death.

Investigators also believed Jason’s death eliminated the only other person who could fully explain what had happened to Christopher Regan.

Kelly later pleaded guilty to Jason’s murder, avoiding a trial in Indiana after prosecutors agreed not to pursue the death penalty.

The Criminal Cases That Followed

Jason Cochran was never tried for Christopher Regan’s murder because he died before charges could be filed.

Instead, Michigan prosecutors focused their efforts on Kelly Cochran, presenting evidence that she had actively participated in Regan’s murder and helped conceal the crime. She was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life imprisonment without parole.

In Indiana, Kelly pleaded guilty to murdering Jason Cochran through strangulation. During sentencing in 2018, Lake County Judge Salvador Vasquez imposed a 65-year prison sentence, criticising Kelly’s attempts to portray Jason as the primary villain in the relationship.

Although investigators believed Jason played a direct role in Christopher Regan’s killing, his death meant those allegations were never tested in court, and no criminal conviction was ever entered against him.

Where Is Jason Cochran Now?

Jason Cochran died on 20 February 2016 at the age of 37 after being murdered in the Hobart, Indiana, home he shared with Kelly.

He is buried following funeral services attended by family and friends. Unlike Kelly Cochran, who remains imprisoned, Jason’s role in the events can only be understood through the evidence presented during Kelly’s investigations and subsequent court proceedings.

Because Jason died before facing trial, he was never convicted of Christopher Regan’s murder. However, prosecutors maintained throughout Kelly Cochran’s Michigan trial that Jason was the gunman who shot Regan inside the couple’s home before the pair disposed of the body together.

Jason Cochran’s Legacy in the Case

Jason Cochran occupies a unique place in one of America’s most unusual homicide investigations. Prosecutors portrayed him as both a participant in Christopher Regan’s murder and, later, a victim of Kelly Cochran’s second known homicide.

His death complicated the investigation because detectives could no longer question the only other person believed to have firsthand knowledge of what happened to Christopher Regan. Much of the case therefore relied on forensic evidence, witness testimony and Kelly Cochran’s own admissions, which investigators carefully compared against the physical evidence.

20/20’s Where Monsters Hide examines Jason Cochran’s role in the investigation while exploring how law enforcement uncovered the truth behind two murders that crossed state lines. The programme also highlights the lasting impact the crimes had on the families of both Christopher Regan and Jason Cochran, whose lives became permanently linked by one of the Midwest’s most shocking criminal cases.

More “Where Monsters Hide”

More Feature Articles

Exit mobile version