BECKLEY, W.Va. — A pharmacist in West Virginia, already serving time in a federal prison for fraud, has been convicted of murdering her husband.

In Raleigh County Circuit Court, a jury found Natalie Cochran guilty of first-degree murder, as reported by various news organizations. Following the verdict, the jury has the task of deciding whether she will be eligible for parole after serving a minimum of 15 years in prison. The first-degree murder charge carries a potential sentence of life imprisonment.

Michael Cochran, 38, died in February 2019, and prosecutors allege that Natalie Cochran administered a lethal dose of insulin to him. They claimed she did this to keep him from discovering her involvement in a $2 million Ponzi scheme, which she had admitted to running from 2017 until 2019.

In March 2021, Natalie Cochran received an 11-year sentence for her earlier fraudulent actions where she posed as a government contractor, misleading investors and swindling them out of millions. According to federal prosecutors, she deceived these investors into believing she owned two profitable businesses that secured government contracts. However, authorities discovered that she had not invested the funds as claimed; instead, she used portions of the money to purchase luxury items, including a 1965 Shelby Cobra classic car, a couple of properties, and various pieces of jewelry.