Utah man killed in London attack was hit on bridge

SALT LAKE CITY — A Utah couple was enjoying the final day of their European trip to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary when they were among the crowd of people on London’s Westminster Bridge who were struck by an SUV.

Kurt W. Cochran was one of two people killed and his wife, Melissa Cochran, was among dozens who were injured, according to a statement issued Thursday by the family through a Mormon church spokesman. The couple was visiting Melissa Cochran’s parents who were serving a church mission in London.

Authorities on Thursday identified a 52-year-old British man as the person who mowed down the Cochrans and other pedestrians and stabbed a policeman to death outside Parliament, saying he had a long criminal record and once was investigated for extremism — but was not currently on a terrorism watch list.

Pictures on Kurt Cochran’s Facebook page show the couple enjoying their sightseeing travels through Europe prior to the tragic events. In one post, there are pictures of German architecture beneath a caption, “Trier Germany. Another WOW!” In another, he is shown smiling and holding a German beer under the caption, “After a long day of sightseeing.”

Family and friends said they’re heartbroken over the loss of a loving husband and father who loved music.

For the last decade, the couple ran a recording studio in their basement where he helped musicians develop their talents. The couple lives in a middle class neighborhood with small, older homes arranged on both sides of a quiet road in a bedroom community just outside Salt Lake City.

Melissa Cochran’s brother, Clint Payne, said through a verified GoFundMe account webpage that the couple was among the first hit by a vehicle on the Westminster Bridge.

“Kurt was a good man and a loving husband to our sister and daughter, Melissa,” the statement said.

Melissa Cochran is still hospitalized. She suffered a broken leg, broken rib and a cut and bruises, said friend Mike Murphy.

Murphy, owner of Murphy’s Guitars in Bountiful, said Kurt Cochran would come into his shop regularly to buy recording equipment for his basement studio where he tried to help young bands get started by charging only a small fee for them to use the studio.

“He loved music,” Murphy said. “He was always around when there were music things going on.”

Emma Dugal, executive director of Bountiful Davis Art Center, said the couple has been volunteering at the organization’s annual summer arts festival for years. Calling what happened devastating, she said they both are very warm, friendly people and as a couple were inseparable.