GUILTY MS - Donna Cochran, 44, found murdered, Carthage, 11 Aug 2010

[trmay626]

To All – To begin with thanks for all the interest and ideas in Donna’s case. The case is far from being cold. Greg (Sheriff Waggoner) has known Donna her entire life and is taking this case very personal. The leads have slowed down but there is still evidence coming from the state crime lab and there are still many more interviews (interrogations) to do. I communicate with Greg on a regular basis and he thinks the case is solvable. I pray that he is right for the sake of the family and my wife.

 

[trmay626]

Never knew of Donna's and M's house to be broken into at this location. They were robbed as a previous house while they were sleeping but this was 20+ years ago. M's parents were robbed while they were away on a trip about 5 years ago

 

[trmay626]

My :twocents: says this was not a robbery gone bad, it is a murder, hastily covered up.

I base my opinion on the placement of the headshots, and the coincidence that the murder appears to have happened at about the time hubby left for his overnight stint at pop-in-law's chicken ranch. I have no reason to call hubby's character into question; in fact, locals seem to think very highly of both Donna and her husband. If a person wants to kill off a spouse, what better alibi than to have his/her own parents tesitfy that you were with them all night?

Other information (from locals, not LE), indicates that there were no particluarly regular hours of business at the tack shop. I am actually surprized to find that they kept any significant amount of cash there at all. I would have assumed that they would do plenty of debit, credit, or checks from people they knew. So, why would this little workshop-looking barn attract your average robber looking for cash?

If she pulled a gun and they had fought for it, she would surley have other bruises or contusions, but the sheriff said she had no other injuries, and even then, a robber would grab the gun and run or fire off a quick shot. The killer was precise in the placement of the shots, whis says to me that he/she was not in fear of someone else walking in or attracting attention with the noise of the shots. They knew they were alone, that no one else was in the house or on the property.

(forgive typos--cooking while typing...enchiladas, yum!)

Donna's husband has taken and passed a polygraph test.

It was unusual for the tack business to have that much cash. The cash that was stolen was from a deposit that she was making for a local equestrian riding club. (She was the secretary/treasurer.)

The murder took place in the tack shop. She was not shot thru the window. From the forensics, LE basically knows where she and the assailant were standing.

 

[trmay626]

Does anybody know how Donna's FIL is doing? I think I read earlier that he collapsed and was hospitalized after finding her. I hope he is recovering from what had to be a terribly traumatic discovery.

Ray is ok or at least as ok as he can be at this time. He has had heart problems in the past and after finding Donna, the stress level was too much and the family thought that he may be having another heart attack. He was carried to the ER and released that same day

 

[Belinda]

Ray is ok or at least as ok as he can be at this time. He has had heart problems in the past and after finding Donna, the stress level was too much and the family thought that he may be having another heart attack. He was carried to the ER and released that same day

Poor guy. I cannot imagine how terribly traumatized he was. I'm glad to hear that he is physically doing okay. He will probably never get over finding Donna. Thanks so much for the update.

 

[mikeysmommom]

To All – To begin with thanks for all the interest and ideas in Donna’s case. The case is far from being cold. Greg (Sheriff Waggoner) has known Donna her entire life and is taking this case very personal. The leads have slowed down but there is still evidence coming from the state crime lab and there are still many more interviews (interrogations) to do. I communicate with Greg on a regular basis and he thinks the case is solvable. I pray that he is right for the sake of the family and my wife.

Thank you so much for sharing with us.I am glad the Sheriff has a personal interest in Donna's case, sometimes that is a good motivator to solve a case.I did not know Donna or her family but I am Praying for justice for her and peace for those who loved and lost her so tragically.Thanks to all the locals for coming to Websleuths to share memories as well as facts of the case.

 

[jokie7348]

Just checking in for Donna. I still don't find any news. Hoping, hoping, hoping that the case will break. Thoughts of love, comfort, and peace to the Cochran, Ganann, May families.

 

[TGIRecovered]

Donna's husband has taken and passed a polygraph test.

It was unusual for the tack business to have that much cash. The cash that was stolen was from a deposit that she was making for a local equestrian riding club. (She was the secretary/treasurer.)

The murder took place in the tack shop. She was not shot thru the window. From the forensics, LE basically knows where she and the assailant were standing.

Good to know!

It seems strange to me that the sheriff has not released a statement clearing the husband. Surely the sheriff would want to take any suspicion off of Donna's hubby out of sympathy for the family! Do you know if the poly info came from a family member or an LE source?

It still seems strange to me that a robber was lucky enough to show up at the shop on a night that they happened to have a lot of cash and Donna was alone. Can you think of anyone else who would have known that hubby was gone for the night and that Donna would be there alone? Who else knew where to find the gun? Do you know where the perp was standing when the shots were fired? I assume he would have had to be behind Donna, behind the desk, unless the body was moved after death.MOO

Thank you for posting and sharing this info! I hope this doesn't drag on forever!

 

[trmay626]

Good to know!

It seems strange to me that the sheriff has not released a statement clearing the husband. Surely the sheriff would want to take any suspicion off of Donna's hubby out of sympathy for the family! Do you know if the poly info came from a family member or an LE source?

It still seems strange to me that a robber was lucky enough to show up at the shop on a night that they happened to have a lot of cash and Donna was alone. Can you think of anyone else who would have known that hubby was gone for the night and that Donna would be there alone? Who else knew where to find the gun? Do you know where the perp was standing when the shots were fired? I assume he would have had to be behind Donna, behind the desk, unless the body was moved after death.MOO

Thank you for posting and sharing this info! I hope this doesn't drag on forever!

TGIR, The sheriff is not releasing much information at all. I know the sheriff personally and many of the investigators with the MHP. I speak to the sheriff on a regular. I am also a family member. Greg (Sheriff Waggoner) told me and the other family members about the polygraph results.

Yes, LE has a very good idea on where and how the murder took place (down to each shot and the position and reaction of the body from each shot). The body was not moved and the murder took place behind the counter. One of the perplexing questions is the broken window. The window was broken before the murder (the body was lying on top of some of the window glass) but why break the window if you could enter thru the front door? When M left that evening to go to Paw Jack’s farm he did not lock the store’s door, now whether or not Donna locked it we do not know. The morning that the body was found the store’s door was locked so the perp had to lock the door when he or she departed the scene. No one had or could have went thru the window. (I have seen the window and with the position of the glass still in the window no one could have went thru it.) Why lock the door?

 

[Ruflossn]

TGIR, The sheriff is not releasing much information at all. I know the sheriff personally and many of the investigators with the MHP. I speak to the sheriff on a regular. I am also a family member. Greg (Sheriff Waggoner) told me and the other family members about the polygraph results.

Yes, LE has a very good idea on where and how the murder took place (down to each shot and the position and reaction of the body from each shot). The body was not moved and the murder took place behind the counter. One of the perplexing questions is the broken window. The window was broken before the murder (the body was lying on top of some of the window glass) but why break the window if you could enter thru the front door? When M left that evening to go to Paw Jack’s farm he did not lock the store’s door, now whether or not Donna locked it we do not know. The morning that the body was found the store’s door was locked so the perp had to lock the door when he or she departed the scene. No one had or could have went thru the window. (I have seen the window and with the position of the glass still in the window no one could have went thru it.) Why lock the door?[/QUOTE]

Hi TR~
I have been following this case. I went to college near Carthage and am familiar with the area.

Why break the window?
The offender(s) may have broken the window to:

1) Scare Donna. If this was a crime that was intended not to just cause Donna physical harm but also emotional distress, the window may have been broken to scare her.

2) To distract Donna. If there were 2 offenders involved in this crime, one may have broken the window in order to distract Donna while the other offender entered the room.

Why lock the door?

1) "To buy time". By locking the door, it would take someone more time to gain entry. (assuming there was not a key readily available) By taking longer to gain entry into the tack shop, it would take longer for the murder / crime to be discovered.

2) Let's assume the offender(s) did not know Donna. IF they could lock the door, it might cast suspicion on family / friends who had access to a key. This scenario would only work if the door required a key to lock it. (Similar to a dead bolt lock etc.........)

 

[trmay626]

Ruflossn, The door was not dead bolt locked, only the door knob was locked (twist type lock on the rear of the knob). No key was needed to lock only to unlock.

There was no sign of any type of struggle or suprise. Absolutely nothing seemed or looked out of place, just a broken window with glass on the floor and desk. Nothing was knocked over, or seemed out of place. LE thinks that the window was knocked out possibly to get her to go into the shop? Was she outside and the perp wanted wanted her inside?

 

[vigilant]

Hi all~
I've been reading up on this case and knowing the area I was wondering if the consensus in the community and with the LE is that the perp is a local, or someone randomly going thru town?
The tack shop seems an odd place for some random person to happen upon which would lead me to believe it was someone local. But then someone local would have to be pretty devious in the first place and I would think that such a person would stick out to most……unless they are good at camouflaging their true self.
The tack shop also seems an odd pick to rob! It is not like there is a whole lot of cash on hand in a place like that. So then that also would lead me to think that perhaps someone who knew her went to the shop to maybe confront her about something and did not intend at first to shoot her, but the argument got heated and one thing led to another and then they had to cover their tracks and make it look like a robbery gone bad.
It’s all very strange, the broken window that really has no reason to be broken, and that was broken before Donna was shot. Then the cash taken ever so carefully from the money bag, if it was a robbery, wouldn’t they have taken the whole bag and later dumped what they couldn’t use from it. And what motive would someone have to do this in the first place??????
Just all very sad and strange…..my thoughts and prayer are with the friends and family, I pray that justice will be served!

 

[TGIRecovered]

Thank you trmay and Ruflossn!

Did anyone in the area notice unknown persons or vehicles in the area that evening? (If either of you have heard.)

Do you think that if it was a stranger, someone would have noticed someone "out of place"?

Who all knew about the money being there that night?

Trmay, I see that you are family and I am sorry for your loss! I hope we see the person responsible for this murder brought to justice soon, before they hurt anyone else!

 

[fhc]

Welcome Vigilant

 

[trmay626]

Thank you trmay and Ruflossn!

Did anyone in the area notice unknown persons or vehicles in the area that evening? (If either of you have heard.)

Do you think that if it was a stranger, someone would have noticed someone "out of place"?

Who all knew about the money being there that night?

Trmay, I see that you are family and I am sorry for your loss! I hope we see the person responsible for this murder brought to justice soon, before they hurt anyone else!

TGIR, Thank you. I lost a sister 24 years ago and that murder has gone unsolved to this day. The only thing that I directly asked of LE on this one is not to let that happen again. Lets catch this perp. Nothing like reliving old nightmares

 

[Coldpizza]

Iv'e been involved in the horse business for many years and seen many tack shops big and small. What sticks out to me on this case are...

1. Monies were in the tack shop from a local equestrian center as she was the treasurer.
That is so common. Could have been a local Horse Show and funds aren't deposited right away. You always have 1 or 2 or 3 that ask "please hold my check" "I need to make a deposit" A local farm will accommodate that because they are reoccurring customers.
Someone had to be aware of that IMO

2. Based on that from the beginning I had the feeling that someone was waiting outside until she showed up at the tack shop. Hiding I presume. When Donna opened up the door the perp was there, coming out of hiding and overcame her by surprise. The perp could have demanded the money and Donna stalled, taking her behind the desk. She was stalling too long thus her demise. Her daughter could have drivin by the shop and seen the lights on thinking all was normal. The shots could have been fired already. I questioned that in the beginning wondering why the daughter didn't hear anything.

3. I think the perp broke the window as a coverup. A last minute thought if you will. To me it is possible that a spare set of keys were in a drawer and they were used to lock the door on the way out after cleaning any prints.

4. I believe this is drug related and definitely a local with ties in the horse world and probably the local equestrian center. Could be a groom. Trust me they know all about all horse owners who pays and who has what money. Could be a relative of one of the managers or crew at the show. IMO someone that had knowledge that Donna had that money.

Sorry to ramble but those are my thoughts to date

 

[Ruflossn]

Ruflossn, The door was not dead bolt locked, only the door knob was locked (twist type lock on the rear of the knob). No key was needed to lock only to unlock.

There was no sign of any type of struggle or suprise. Absolutely nothing seemed or looked out of place, just a broken window with glass on the floor and desk. Nothing was knocked over, or seemed out of place. LE thinks that the window was knocked out possibly to get her to go into the shop? Was she outside and the perp wanted wanted her inside?

TR~
I thought it had been confirmed that she was in the shop when the offender(s) gained entry. My apologies for not being well informed. I need to re-read this case. If she was outside, then throwing the rock was most likely a ruse to get her attention. Once her attention was on the broken window, the perp(s) took advantage of the situation and took her inside the shop. Due to the fact that there was no signs of a struggle, leads me to believe the offender(s) must have been physically intimidating to Donna. (Not to mention the fact they had a firearm). They knew there was money to be gained. The key is to find out HOW they would have known this. Did someone at the bank comment to someone they knew about recent deposits, did someone in the equestrian group mention the dues/money to someone? The fact that Donna was murdered, leads me to believe she 1) could have been able to id the offender(s) or they simply wanted NO witnesses. If they wanted no witnesses, then I would look at people who have had prior convictions associated with similiar crimes. But, the key will be finding the convictions that were based on victim testimony. Someone who has served time in the penal system based on a victims testimony is more likely to not leave a victim in any following crimes.

Do you know if law enforcement has offered an offender profile to the locals or the local law enforcement officers?

 

[trmay626]

Ruflossn, She was in the shop when her husband left and she was murdered in the shop but no one knows if she was in the shop the entire time. She may have went outside for something or even back to the house for something.?? We assume that the perp or perps were armed but her pistol is missing. (Her pistol was a .25 cal and she was shot with a .25 cal.)

 

[Ruflossn]

Ruflossn, She was in the shop when her husband left and she was murdered in the shop but no one knows if she was in the shop the entire time. She may have went outside for something or even back to the house for something.?? We assume that the perp or perps were armed but her pistol is missing. (Her pistol was a .25 cal and she was shot with a .25 cal.)

I read where LE stated she died sometime after 7:30 pm. I am guessing that info is based on the husbands time line of last seeing her at 7:30. Has the medical examiner released the time of death? I would bet the offender(s) were aware of the fact that Donna was left alone. They deliberately waited until her husband was gone before they commited the crime. It was released that there were "casings" found at the scene. Was Donna shot more than once? I am sorry if the questions are upsetting. I do not mean for them to cause you distress.

 

[vigilant]

I read where LE stated she died sometime after 7:30 pm. I am guessing that info is based on the husbands time line of last seeing her at 7:30. Has the medical examiner released the time of death? I would bet the offender(s) were aware of the fact that Donna was left alone. They deliberately waited until her husband was gone before they commited the crime. It was released that there were "casings" found at the scene. Was Donna shot more than once? I am sorry if the questions are upsetting. I do not mean for them to cause you distress.

It was my understanding that there were two shots....one to the back of the head and one to the temple.....
I too feel that the perp knew that the husband would not be there, perhaps b/c they knew where the husband was going and perhaps they are familar with that industry and knew that the husband would be gone for quite some time