Gordon Wayne Cochran
Gordon Wayne Cochran, a man in his fifties, died on November 17, 2019, after he was hurt in a fight with another person held in a cell at the Hill County Detention Center in Havre, Montana. He was taken to Northern Montana Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Staff began chest compressions before he was taken out, according to a court document. A sheriff's office account says a detention officer requested medical help on a Sunday evening. The autopsy, as described at a sentencing hearing, found blunt force trauma to the head and strangulation, and the other person was sentenced in April 2022 after admitting to the killing.
Cause of death, as reported: Killed by another person in custody. Sheriff Jamie Ross said he died after an altercation with another inmate, the autopsy reported at sentencing found blunt force trauma to the head and strangulation, and a court document says the other detainee told officers he was defending himself.
Reported by: Hill County Sheriff Jamie Ross (the agency that held him); Division of Criminal Investigation agent, reporting the autopsy at a sentencing hearing (outside investigators); court document.