Attorney: Obsession led to woman's beating death

"During the course of the investigation it became quite clear that Cockrum and Cindy Leggans knew each other and had known each other for quite some time," said Dinn. "I'm not going to characterize the nature of the relationship but I will say that it was also very clear that Brian Cockrum was obsessed with Cindy Leggans. Some of the events that led up the murder of Cindy Leggans illustrate that he was obsessed with her."

When asked if the obsession and the relationship were one-sided with Cockrum only pursuing Leggans, Dinn refused again to "characterize the nature of the relationship."

Despite Dinn's refusal to talk about the relationship during Friday's press conference, court records show it was Cockrum who filed an order of protection against Leggans on Dec. 14, 2004 stating that he'd had an affair with her for 18 months and she would not leave him alone. In a two-page handwritten statement Cockrum said he tried to break off the relationship but Leggans "followed me from bar to bar and tried to intimidate me." After filing for the order of protection, Cockrum then failed to appear for a subsequent hearing on his allegations and the case was dismissed.

For the first time since Leggan's body was discovered on June 1 lying face down in the backseat of her Chevrolet Avalanche, Dinn provided a timeline about the final hours of 33-year-old woman's life.

Leggans had worked as part of a group of volunteers that had recently undertaken a huge landscaping project at Capital Park, located on the southeast corner of Benton Public Square. Dinn said Benton police received a call on May 31 at approximately 10:30 p.m. that an individual had vandalized the park, damaging and uprooting flowers and trees.

Leggans was called and arrived at the park, which is located approximately 300 feet from the home she shared with her husband, Tom Leggans, an assistant U.S. Attorney.

"She (Cindy Leggans) apparently made the decision to try and replant some of the vegetation and from approximately 11:30 p.m. on she was either at the park or at the Benton Police Department," said Dinn. "An individual that lives near the park identified Brian Cockrum riding a bicycle at approximately 11:20 p.m., going each on Church Street, from the vicinity near the Leggan's home."

Dinn said Cockrum's bike was found the following day after Leggan's body was discovered in an alley directly behind the Leggans' home.

According to phone records, Leggans contacted the contractor that had worked on the park about the damage and he arrived at the scene shortly after 1 a.m. Because of heavy rains Leggans, the contractor and others at the site retreated to a pickup truck. At approximately 1:14 a.m., a 911 call was placed that an individual, suspected to be Cockrum, threw a brick through the windshield of the truck.

"They did not get a positive identification that it was Brian Cockrum but the clothes the individual was wearing matched the description given by the neighbor at 11:20," said Dinn.

Following that incident the Leggans and the contractor went to Benton Police Department to file a report and then she returned to the park where she continued replanting the flowers.

"At 2 a.m. she called her husband, the last time that Tom Leggans talked to his wife, and she told him everything was fine and that she was going to continue working at the park," Dinn said. "She told him she was safe because the police was still there and she continued planting the flowers until 4:50 a.m. when she left the park and drove home."

Dinn said when Tom Leggans awakened that morning the garage door was open, a door he had closed earlier in the evening, and his wife and truck was gone. Leggans told authorities that he assumed his wife had gone to get landscaping material and he went to work.

"At 4:50 a.m. when she left the park, that's the last time anybody saw Cindy Leggans alive," said Dinn. "We believe that Brian Cockrum was observing Cindy Leggans the entire time that she was working at the park. We have good reason to believe he did the damage at the park and that he threw the brick. These were acts of frustration and we believe his frustration grew throughout the night because he could not have any contact with Cindy Leggans because she was in the presence of someone at all times."

Dinn said authorities theorize that Cockrum was lying in wait for Leggans when she returned home at approximately 5 a.m. He said he does not believe the murder took place at that time because of the fierce fight that apparently took place. He said Leggans had "numerous" defensive wounds on her giving evidence that she fought against her attacker.

Also for the first time, Dinn said that the vehicle that Leggans body was discovered in had been "rigged" for suicide. He said a hose had been run from the exhaust to the inside of the vehicle through a window and that a suicide note written by Cockrum was found inside. A pair of short, matching the description of the pair Cockrum was wearing was also found inside the vehicle. The battery from Leggans' cell phone was found inside the pocket of the shorts, Dinn said. Missing from the murder scene, Dinn said, was Cindy Leggans' keys that contained the key to the Avalanche and her house keys.

Dinn said a murder weapon has never been found and also said authorities still do not know where the actual murder took place. He said authorities also do not know if Cockrum had any assistance in traveling the approximate eight miles from the location where Leggans' body was discovered to the house where he claimed his own life four days later.

Dinn also addressed the issue of the gun that Cockrum used to take his life. He said authorities have not determined where Cockrum got the weapon and described it as "sawed-off shotgun." Dinn said the barrel of the gun had been cut off and measured 19.5 inches long and the tip of the barrel to the trigger measured 21.5 inches. He said autopsy results showed Cockrum's arm at 25 inches long.

"He died of a contact wound that was close to the sternum and by contact wound I mean he had the barrel up against his chest," said Dinn.

A key piece of evidence found in the house and in Cockrum's possession was the missing key ring of Cindy Leggans that still had the Avalanche truck key on it.

"Logically, there is no other way that he (Cockrum) would be in possession of this unless he was the one that drove the truck to the location where her body was found," said Dinn. "Once again, I think this is a clear case of obsession and I also think a lot of the answers to questions we have about 'why' and 'where' died with Brian Cockrum. While the investigation has not concluded I can say with certainty that Brian Cockrum is the murderer of Cindy Leggans."

Dinn said he met with the Cockrum family on Thursday and stressed that the entire family has been helpful both before and after the suicide.

"The Cockrums at all times, from the beginning of this case to the end, have been completely cooperative and gave full access to themselves and their property," said Dinn. "When I spoke with them they did not dispute that Brian murdered Cindy or that he committed suicide. I know that sometimes people are drawn to the lurid aspects of a case like this but I would like to remind everyone that both Brian and Cindy had families and friends that loved them and both of them left behind beautiful children."

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