A missing-person search for a 44-year-old Alexandria man ended in tragedy this week when police said they found him dead in a bedroom closet, and the man he had spent the night drinking with immediately confessed to killing him. Joshua Cochran was reported missing by his family before officers located his body late Tuesday inside an apartment in the 5800 block of Merton Court.
Police said Cochran was last seen on the evening of Saturday, Oct. 24, in the 1400 block of North Beauregard Street, according to WJLA. Concerned family members prompted officers to conduct a welfare check at his apartment on Monday, Oct. 26, as reported by DC News Now. He was reported missing that same stretch of days before investigators tracked down where he had last been.
Detectives pieced together Cochran's final hours and determined he had been drinking with 63-year-old John Stremple III. The pair were drinking at an Alexandria restaurant, went to several other locations, purchased alcohol, and ended up back at Stremple's apartment, police said, per the station's report. That trail of stops eventually led investigators to the Merton Court address where Cochran's body was found.
Confession Came the Moment Police Opened the Door
Alexandria Police Chief Tarrick McGuire held a media briefing Wednesday afternoon to lay out how the case unfolded. Cochran was located in the bedroom closet in the 5800 block of Merton Court, with police saying he had suffered blunt-force trauma to his head, per the same outlet's account.
According to McGuire, the suspect gave an immediate confession when detectives opened the apartment door. After the confession, detectives took Stremple to the police station. Police have classified the case as a homicide and have not disclosed what led up to the killing.
Court records cited by ALXnow show Stremple was charged with second-degree murder and is being held without bond. His preliminary court hearing is scheduled for Jan. 6, 2027, the outlet reported.
Relationship Between the Two Men Remains Unclear
Investigators have not said how Cochran and Stremple knew each other before that night of drinking. Police said the investigation is ongoing, and the relationship between the suspect and the victim is unknown, according to DC News Now's reporting on the briefing.
A Rare Homicide in a City Where Part 1 Crime Has Been Falling
Cochran's death comes against the backdrop of a city that has otherwise seen crime numbers trend downward. Alexandria recorded 3,400 Part 1 crime incidents in 2025, a 31% drop from the 4,929 incidents logged in 2024, according to data reported by ALXnow. Homicides specifically fell from four in 2024 to two in 2025, the outlet noted, while larceny made up the overwhelming majority of reported crime, accounting for 2,815 incidents, or 82% of the city's total Part 1 offenses last year.
Those citywide figures don't speak to this case directly, and the evidence does not establish how Cochran's death factors into any 2026 totals. What's clear for now is that a family's worry over a missing relative led police to a closet in a Merton Court apartment, and to a confession that came as soon as the door opened.
