In a quiet corner of Conway, South Carolina, a story of dedicated service and tragic loss unfolded, leaving a community to grapple with the death of one of its own. James Odell Cochran, a 65-year-old male and a retired lieutenant of the Conway Police Department, was found deceased in his home on Long Branch Road in what authorities quickly determined to be a homicide.
His long career, spanning 38 years of service to his community, came to a heartbreaking end.
The investigation into Cochran's death swiftly focused on a familiar face within his own household, his 22-year-old step-son, Eric Kwajae-Mikhail Faulk. The circumstances leading to the discovery of Cochran's body began with a chilling 911 call from a woman who stated her son had 'done something.' This unsettling message was compounded by reports that Faulk had also confessed to a cousin that he had 'done something wrong.' Responding to the call, Horry County police arrived at the residence to find the retired officer deceased.
What followed was an intensive search for Faulk, who was considered armed and dangerous. Law enforcement sought the public's assistance in locating him and the 2004 Chevrolet K1500 Silverado he was believed to be driving. The search for Faulk cast a somber shadow over the community as they mourned a man who was described as a good neighbor who mostly kept to himself. The sense of loss was particularly acute within the law enforcement community, where Cochran was remembered as a dedicated officer who had mentored many.
After nearly a month on the run, Eric Kwajae-Mikhail Faulk was apprehended in the Green Sea area of Horry County. His arrest brought a sense of closure to the manhunt, but it also marked the beginning of the legal proceedings that would delve into the tragic death of a man who had dedicated his life to upholding the law. The community was left to remember a man who had served them for decades, his life cut short in an act of violence that reverberated through the quiet streets he once patrolled.
