H. L. Kirkpatrick

Kirk Kirkpatrick
Justice of the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals
Incumbent
Assumed office
June 12, 2026
Preceded byGerald Titus
Personal details
BornHarry Louis Kirkpatrick III
1951 (age 74–75)
Beckley, West Virginia, U.S.
PartyRepublican
SpouseRebecca Nicewonder
Children2
EducationUniversity of Kentucky (BA)
West Virginia University (JD)

Harry Louis "Kirk" Kirkpatrick III (born 1951), abbreviated H. L. or H.L., is a West Virginia judge serving as a justice of the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals since 2026. He previously served as a judge of the Raleigh County Circuit Court.[1][2] Kirkpatrick was appointed by Governor Gaston Caperton in 1995 to serve as a circuit judge on the Tenth Judicial District in Raleigh County,[3][4][5][6] where he served from 1996 to 2024.

Biography

Harry Louis Kirkpatrick III was born in Beckley, West Virginia and grew up in Fayette and Raleigh Counties. He is a graduate of Woodrow Wilson High School (Beckley, West Virginia), University of Kentucky, and the West Virginia University College of Law.[3]

Judicial service

Kirkpatrick served as a lawyer for more than twenty years until he was appointed to serve as a circuit judge of the Tenth Judicial Circuit in 1995 by then-West Virginia Governor Gaston Caperton. Kirkpatrick assumed office in 1996 and was re-elected in 2000, 2008, and 2016.[3]

Kirkpatrick announced in November 2023 that he would not run for re-election after nearly 29 years on the bench.[7] He had been chief judge from 2016 to 2024. He retired at the end of 2024, but stated he would preside over the murder trial of Natalie Cochran,[8] a former pharmacist and fraudster[9] who was then convicted of murdering her husband Michael Cochran in 2019 by poisoning him with insulin and sentenced by Kirkpatrick to life in prison without the possibility of parole.[10][11]

In May 2026, Kirkpatrick was elected to the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia, defeating incumbent Judge Gerald Titus.[12]

References

  1. ↑ "Raleigh County Court Information - West Virginia Judiciary". www.courtswv.gov. Archived from the original on May 8, 2023. Retrieved May 2, 2023.
  2. ↑ "Judge H.L. Kirkpatrick III to Join Supreme Court for One Case" (PDF). Supreme Court of Appeals, State of West Virginia (Press release). March 14, 2022. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 4, 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 "WV Judicial System Judges". West Virginia Judiciary. Archived from the original on June 9, 2017. Retrieved May 2, 2023.
  4. ↑ Pritt, Pamela (May 14, 2014). "Drug court makes a difference in individual lives, judge says". The Register-Herald. Retrieved May 2, 2023.
  5. ↑ Holdren, Wendy (May 11, 2014). "Court Conversations: Bail is an often misunderstood procedure". The Register-Herald. Retrieved May 2, 2023.
  6. ↑ Holdren, Wendy (April 19, 2015). "Kids in the Courtroom — Abuse and Neglect cases in Raleigh County Pt. 2". The Register-Herald. Retrieved May 2, 2023.
  7. ↑ Moore, Josephine E. (November 6, 2023). "Raleigh Judge Kirkpatrick to retire after nearly 30 years". Beckley Register-Herald.
  8. ↑ Farrish, Jessica (December 14, 2024). "Judge H.L. Kirkpatrick's "last" Christmas party draws a crowd". WVNS. Archived from the original on December 27, 2024. Retrieved January 21, 2025.
  9. ↑ "Raleigh County Pharmacist Pleads Guilty to Wire Fraud and Money Laundering". United States Attorney's Office, Southern District of West Virginia (Press release). September 21, 2020 – via United States Department of Justice.
  10. ↑ Farrish, Jessica (December 13, 2024). "Pre-trial hearing held for Natalie Cochran". WVNS. Retrieved January 21, 2025.
  11. ↑ Jenkins, Jeff (January 29, 2025). "Cochran found guilty in husband's murder; jury convicts after deliberating the case for 2 hours". WV MetroNews. Retrieved November 4, 2025.
  12. ↑ "H.L. 'Kirk' Kirkpatrick to serve unexpired six-year term on W.Va. Supreme Court of Appeals". WCHS-TV. May 12, 2026. Retrieved May 12, 2026.
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