Ex-cook accused of raping server after restaurant party gets prison in Tennessee
A former cook accused of raping an intoxicated restaurant server in Tennessee was sentenced to 25 years in prison, according to court officials.
A Knox County jury found David Lyndel Cochran, 49, guilty on one count of aggravated rape, two counts of rape and one count of aggravated kidnapping in April, McClatchy News previously reported.
His sentence comes with no possibility of parole, according to a May 26 news release from the Knox County District Attorney General’s Office.
Cochran was working as a cook for Pero’s restaurant on Aug. 25, 2019, when the staff was given access to the bar on for a celebration since the location was closing, according to the release.
During the party, one of the servers became “extremely intoxicated,” vomited and passed out at the restaurant, the release said.
Cochran offered to take the victim home and carried her to his vehicle, according to prosecutors. But instead of taking her home, Cochran drove her to a motel where prosecutors say he raped the victim, who was unable to give consent.
When the victim woke up the next day, prosecutors said she was in pain and felt discomfort but couldn’t remember what happened the night before.
That’s when the Knox County Sheriff’s Office’s investigation began, according to prosecutors. Capt. Steve Sanders interviewed witnesses and sent the victim to the Sexual Assault Center of East Tennessee, where officials found evidence of Cochran’s DNA, the release said.
“This offender preyed upon a young woman when she was most vulnerable, but he has been held accountable thanks to the hard work of everyone involved in this case,” District Attorney Charme Allen said in the release.
This story was originally published May 27, 2022 at 2:27 PM with the headline "Ex-cook accused of raping server after restaurant party gets prison in Tennessee."
