Southfield mall security guards acquitted of manslaughter of McKenzie Cochran in 2014

SOUTHFIELD, Michigan. – A jury has acquitted three security guards of involuntary manslaughter in connection with the death of McKenzie Cochran at Northland Mall in 2014.

The three security guards were overwhelmed with emotion when the five-day trial ended in an acquittal.

The trial had been ongoing since Monday, August 19. The prosecution closed on Thursday after hearing four witnesses, and the defense concluded its case on Friday.

The guards – Lucius Hamilton, John Seiberling, Gaven King and Aaron Maree – reportedly detained 25-year-old McKenzie Cochran. He was asked to leave the mall after an employee said he was acting suspiciously near a jewelry store. Cochran was pepper sprayed and pinned to the ground.

Hamilton pleaded guilty on August 16 after the judge said in October that she would likely favor a 90-day jail sentence. A fifth security guard – the first to come into contact with Cochran – died in 2017.

Witnesses said Cochran repeatedly told guards during the struggle, “I can't breathe.” Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said he couldn't breathe because of the way he was lying on the ground.

Once guards handcuffed Cochran, they noticed he was unresponsive and called emergency services. Attempts to resuscitate him at the mall were unsuccessful. Cochran was pronounced dead shortly after being taken to the hospital.

Cochran's death was ruled an accident by the medical examiner in 2014, and the Oakland County District Attorney's Office did not file charges.

The four security guards were charged with manslaughter in 2021.