Three Words Carved in a Tree: The Kelly Cochran Case

Kelly and Jason grew up next door to each other, married young, and made a promise on their wedding night that most people would have laughed off by breakfast. Twelve years later, in a corner of Michigan where the nearest anything is 45 minutes away, that promise turned into a plan. This one has a woman at the center who never once stopped talking, and almost never told the same story twice. There is a tree in an Indiana park with 3 words carved into it, and those 3 words are the reason anyone knows what happened to Chris Regan at all.

In October 2014, 53-year-old Air Force veteran Christopher Regan disappeared from Iron River, Michigan, and the homicide investigation led detectives straight to his coworker and lover, Kelly Cochran, and her husband Jason. With no body, degraded forensic evidence, and a police chief running a department of 4 officers, the cold case sat for 18 months until an FBI tip, an autopsy in Indiana, and one detective's very unusual tactic broke it open into a first-degree murder conviction and a life sentence without parole.

🔔 Subscribe for True Crime Cases multiple times a week

Never miss a story. Subscribe to 10 Minute Murder for bite-sized true crime episodes delivered fresh every week.

Get a weekly email from me about the upcoming cases and more: 10minutemurder.com/newsletter

📱 Follow for Behind-the-Scenes Content Get exclusive case updates, research photos, and sneak peeks of upcoming episodes:

💬 Have a Case Suggestion? Know a fascinating case that deserves coverage? I love listener suggestions and feature the best ones in upcoming episodes. Email: joe@10minutemurder.com Website: 10minutemurder.com ⭐ Help Grow the True Crime Community

  • Rate & Review: Leave a 5-star review to help other true crime fans discover the show
  • Share: Send this episode to fellow true crime enthusiasts
  • Join the Discussion: Tag us in your episode reactions on social media

🎧 Want Even More True Crime? 
Check out True Crime Blueprint, also created and hosted by Joe.

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/43zuDpH01HtdIrH0ShCAid?si=86b2281063334139


Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/true-crime-blueprint/id1877878404

iHeartRadio: https://iheart.com/podcast/323307878
Amazon Music/Audible: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/b7d5eaae-9d27-40f9-8efb-6864c2af8055
Deezer: https://www.deezer.com/show/1002664071
Podcast Addict: https://podcastaddict.com/podcast/true-crime-blueprint/6785639
Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/true-crime-blueprint-6381660
Spreaker: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/true-crime-blueprint--6879387
Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/show/1113943
Pandora: https://www.pandora.com/podcast/true-crime-blueprint/PC:1001113943


Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/10-minute-murder-bingeable-true-crime-stories--4603604/support.

Podden och tillhörande omslagsbild på den här sidan tillhör JOE. Innehållet i podden är skapat av JOE och inte av, eller tillsammans med, Poddtoppen.