A man who killed his friend at a bus stop in the Hybla Valley area of Fairfax County, Virginia, in January 2022, and permanently blinded another man who refused to serve as his getaway driver was sentenced to life in prison Thursday.
Jordan Cochran was 20 years old at the time he fatally shot 18-year-old Kebbren Leigh-Gaye, who had been pleading with his father to allow Cochran to stay at their home. Leigh-Gaye’s father kicked Cochran out when Cochran showed him his gun, a prosecutor in the case told WTOP.
“He didn’t threaten Kebbren’s father with it, but he showed Kebbren’s father that he had a firearm, and that was sort of the last straw. So he’s producing a weapon in the home of someone who had been considering letting him stay there,” Fredericksburg Chief Deputy Commonwealth’s Attorney Stephen Eubank said. The Fredericksburg Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office served as the substitute prosecutor for the case.
Then, Leigh-Gaye tried to help Cochran move, according to Eubank. The two had been riding in Cochran’s vehicle together before the shooting on Jan.8, 2022. Inside that car, police recovered a job application that Leigh-Gaye had filled out.
“And so it’s obvious that Kebbren’s not running around with Jordan Cochran looking to cause trouble; Kebbren’s out there trying to get a job,” Eubank said.
Cochran and Leigh-Gaye got into a fight around 6:30 p.m. at a bus stop at Richmond Highway and Dart Drive. According to evidence at trial, Leigh-Gaye had called an acquaintance shortly before the shooting and told them Cochran had a gun and asked the acquaintance to come back and help.
A few minutes later, an eyewitness saw Leigh-Gaye beating up Cochran at the bus stop, according to Eubank.
“As he’s walking away, Jordan Cochran produces that gun and Kebbren says, ‘What? Are you going to shoot me? Then shoot me.’ And, he does,” Eubank said.
After the shooting, Eubank said, Cochran took the shoes off Leigh-Gaye’s feet and fled to a nearby 7-Eleven in search of a ride.
“When he’s denied one, and the car is backing out, he fires at the car and hits Reggie Grant in the face and permanently blinds him,” Eubank said. “This is just somebody that is out of control with his gun and has been for a while. And it culminated in one young man being shot to death and a complete stranger to the whole mess blinded forever.”
Almost exactly two years before the shootings, Eubank said, Cochran was arrested and later convicted of firearms charges tied to bringing a gun to a high school basketball game.
Judge David Bernhard made note of that misdemeanor conviction when handing down his sentence Thursday, which was over the recommended range of around 28 to 47 years in prison. Bernhard said he did so to protect the community, according to Eubank.
Cochran apologized to Leigh-Gaye’s family in court Thursday, saying he felt like he had lost a friend.
Bernhard ultimately sentenced Cochran to a total of two life terms in prison, plus 11 years, on convictions of first-degree murder, aggravated malicious wounding, use of a firearm in commission of both those felonies and simple robbery.
Cochran will be eligible for parole review when he turns 60 years old.
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