In February 2021, Colorado teen Brian Cohee – he was 19 at the time – murdered and dismembered 69-year-old Warren Barnes. Warren was a homeless man who had been living under a bridge in Grand Junction, Colorado.
Warren was known around downtown Grand Junction as “the reading man” because he so often sat behind a bridal shop absorbed in paperbacks when he wasn’t helping store owners move boxes or doing odd jobs through a temporary agency.
“He was valued. He was loved. … He is missed every single day,” said Monique Lanotti, who owns the bridal shop.
Geraldine Shipp, one of Warren’s’ eight siblings, said she still has nightmares about the way her brother was brutally murdered a day after he had phoned her to wish her happy birthday.
“He was a man of honor, a man of integrity, a man loved by community and family,” she told the court.
As for Brian, his parents are Brian Sr and Terri. The younger Brian was known as Brian Cohee II. Brian II was said to have a troubled past, suffered from mental disorders, and was interested in “death and morbidity.” Brian has said that he was diagnosed with a major depressive disorder and Asperger’s Syndrome.
On February 27, 2021, Brian and his parents had a family movie night. Brian II picked the film ‘1984’ for them all to watch.
Some info about the movie:
A man loses his identity while living under a repressive regime. In a story based on George Orwell’s classic novel, Winston Smith (John Hurt) is a government employee whose job involves the rewriting of history in a manner that casts his fictional country’s leaders in a charitable light. His trysts with Julia (Suzanna Hamilton) provide his only measure of enjoyment, but lawmakers frown on the relationship — and in this closely monitored society, there is no escape from Big Brother.
The movie ended at around 10pm and Brian and his parents went their separate ways.
Brian left his home and went out into Grand Junction. He saw Warren sleeping under a canvas near the Grand Ave. footbridge near Crosby Ave.
Brian had taken a large kitchen knife with him from his home. Arrest papers show Brian stabbed Warren and decapitated him, placing some of the remains in a large plastic bag.
It is believed that Brian picked Warren to be his victim totally randomly.
Brian would later tell investigators that he had wanted to kill a person for awhile. He said he routinely drove around at night, looking at homeless camps. He told police that he had been planning to kill a homeless person or a prostitute because they wouldn’t be missed and wouldn’t draw so much attention.
“Police, they don’t seem to care as much about high-risk individuals: homeless people, prostitutes, etc,” he later explained. “So I was deliberately looking for someone who lived that type of life.”
Brian was wearing a blue jumpsuit, a mask and gloves at the time of the murder. He drove some of Warren’s remains back to his home and stashed the body parts in his bedroom closet. After doing so, he allegedly traveled back to the crime scene, and loaded up other remains into the trunk of his car, and then went to dispose of those parts in the river at a local boat ramp.
Court papers show while he was unloading the remains at the boat ramp, Brian’s car became stuck and partially submerged in the river. Brian called acquaintances for help and his car had to be towed out.
After Brian returned home, the following day, his father said he became suspicious when he noticed blood on the trunk of Brian II’s vehicle. Brian II explained the blood by saying he had cut his finger.
Later, Brian’s father found Warren’s wallet in the vehicle, as well as a knife in the glove box and white latex gloves. His father said the knife was clean.
On March 1, 2021, Brian’s parents called police after they found Warren’s dismembered head and hands in Brian II’s closet.
There is footage of Brian’s mother talking about finding the remains – one min long
“I was in his room cleaning up, putting some things away and he has a rubber-made container in his closet, and so I just kind of started digging through,” she said.
“I saw a plastic bag…and I was like, what in the world does he have in here? I picked it up, and it was heavy. I held it in my hands…maggots covering something.”
“I carried it out to the sink; it was double-bagged,” Terri explained. She said that she sidn’t open the second bag after the first layer, and immediately called her husband.
Brian wasn’t home when his parents called police, he was at the home of a female friend.
Police arrived to interview him and there is some infamous footage of Brian talking to police.
“Your parents have concerns of some stuff they may have found in your room? What would it be?” an officer asked.
“A human head and hands,” Brian responded calmly to the officer. “From that fella that went missing recently.”
“How did you end up with him?” the officer asked, to which Brian confessed: “I murdered him.”
When asked “with what,” Cohee replied: “A knife.”
When officers asked why Brian had murdered Warren he said ‘I always wondered what murder would feel like.’
Brian was taken in for questioning. He told police more about the murder.
‘It was the night of February 27th it was a full moon and I figured I could see so well why not try it out, I am in a bad state of mind at that time, I have major depressive disorder.
“I was driving along and I see a shape here on the railway track, so I am like ‘Oh interesting’,” he said in a police interview.
“I’m like, that’s a homeless person, so I grabbed my knife, I put on three layers of gloves because plastic gloves can betray their users because they’re so thin…I took the knife, I pulled back the canvas and I stabbed his neck,” he retold.
‘He was panicking at first in, he was saying what are you doing, what are you doing why, why, and I just kept on stabbing his neck.’
Brian told police that he was ‘growling’ and ‘making animalistic noises’ while stabbing Warren.
Brian laughed at one point in the investigation as he described dismembering Warren. He then said ‘sorry that’s morbid’ to investigators. “I’ve been wanting to do this for a long $#% time!” he told police.
Brian was charged with first degree murder, two counts of tampering with a deceased human body, and physical evidence. Straight after his arrest, his defense team filed a motion to move the case from criminal court to juvenile court. According to District Attorney Dan Rubinstein, the juvenile court does not have jurisdiction over crimes after the defendant turned 18.
In September 2021, there was a hearing in the case.
Officer Thomas Stuckenschneider spoke in court at this time. He testified that he found part of the victim’s remains wrapped in plastic bags and towels when he searched the Cohee house back in March.
Officer Stuckenschneider mentioned that when he searched the house, he found a blue jumpsuit in the dryer that investigators believe the suspect wore the night of the murder.
He noted that the blue jumpsuit might have been washed, but that was not confirmed.
Brian was charged with first degree murder and he went to trial in January 2023. The trial ran for 12 days.
Brian’s defence team tried to say that he had been insane at the time of the murder and he pleaded not guilty.
In Colorado, in order to be found not legally sane at the time of a crime, a person must be found incapable of distinguishing right from wrong at the time a crime is committed because of a mental disease or defect.
Dr Craig Gustason testified that he had treated Brian for depression since 2018. He said that in 2020 Brian had said he was suffering from frequent headaches and that he ordered a CAT scan to check for any abnormalities, but none were found.
Dr Gustason also said that he treated Brian for a medical condition days before Warren’s murder. He said that Brian was ‘definitely not psychotic at that time’.
Counsellor Bee Phillips met with Brian 24 times. The counsellor said that Brian referred to trans individuals as ‘It’. She also said that Brian spoke repeatedly about Darwinism and survival of the fittest. Brian reportedly asked her ‘Why is it such a big deal to hurt or steal from others? It is what we are supposed to do.”
The counsellor also spoke of a time where Brian bullied a female on purpose, to trigger her PTSD.
The counsellor said she believed that Brian definitely knew right from wrong.
We also learned during the trial that Terri had taken Brian to the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation for an assessment in 2019. She said that Brian was unable to recognise how his choices affected those around him.
At that point, Brian was diagnosed by a Dr Katen with the lowest level of autism. That meant he needed the least amount of support or assistance.
When Dr Katen asked Brian about his aspirations and goals, she said that he idolised Hitler, the Columbine killers, Ted Bundy and Stalin. Dr Katen then recommended that he receive immediate treatment.
Brian had worked at a Safeway around the time of the murder. Summer Clemmens, a coworker testified and said that he became more talkative in the months leading up to the murder. Brian told Summer that he did not have any real friends and that any he did have were only friends out of pity.
The friend who had been with Brian at the time he was arrested also testified. She told the court that they were each other’s closest friend. She said she could tell when Brian was sad and they discussed their mental health issues. The girl’s mother spoke about how Brian had left their home dramatically after he got the call from Terri regarding the remains being found in his closet.
Forensic psychologist Dr. Serrano-Amerigo testified about Brian’s state of mind during questioning. She said that not only did Brian know where he was, what he was doing, and why he was being interviewed, but also showed no signs of psychosis at any point before, during, or after the crime. She also stated that Brian had no issues answering questions, and showed no signs of distress.
The jury had additional questions for Dr Serrano Amerigo. One juror asked, “Can someone have homicidal thoughts and paranoia and still be sane?” Dr Serrano said yes.
Another question, “Based on your eval, are you able to say if Cohee was oriented when he went back to retrieve Barnes’ body?” Her response was, “He was not experiencing any specific signs of psychosis when he went to retrieve the body.”
At one point in the trial, the defense mentioned that Brian had said that he felt on edge and that the walls had eyes. The prosecution asked, “Is there any connection between these suspicions or delusions that is connected to the murder?” Dr Serrano responded no.
Parts of an assessment transcript of Brian were also shown in court. It read “For a two-week period, there was a strong instinct to bite someone’s throat and rip it out, or bite a shoulder…”
According to Brian, these thoughts began between the ages of 15-17 but the last time he reports experiencing these impulses was the night he murdered Warren. Brian said, “When I would see a person the first thing in my mind, I would see them being shot or stabbed. Or body parts missing, intrusive thoughts.”
Forensic video analyst Jordan Huslig testified about Warren’s phone history on the night of the murder. He found through phone data that Warren made a call to an unknown number close to 7pm, he interacted with the app People Ready/Jobstack, and played a mobile card game of what appeared to be poker.
At the trial, it was also noted that on the night of the murder, Brian had noted the occasion and written ‘1st’ in his cellphone notes.
The jurors were shown graphic photos of Warren and the murder scene.
Several jurors appeared uneasy.
One defense attorney objected to what she called “A juror’s mental state.” After one juror started to cry and couldn’t look at crime scene photos, the defense requested them dismissed. Judge Richard Gurly overruled the objection, saying that it made sense to look away and cry due to the graphic nature of the photos.
Brian’s parents also took the stand.
Terri said that Brian has autism, ADHD, and anxiety, and has been taking medication since he was five years old. His mother says his autism is the reason for his hyper-fixations.
Terri said that between the months of November and December of 2020, she found a black backpack equipped with zip ties, a hammer, duck tape, and pliers.
Terri also spoke about Brian’s bright mind. She said that he was interested in astrophysics from a young age, until his focus shifted to crime scene investigation.
She said that Brian had a fascination with morbidity and after watching, “The Silence of the Lambs” told her he wanted to be a crime scene investigator.
Terri also said that Brian appeared “Lighter than what he had been over the last few month,” the day after the murder.
She said that she had questioned him about the blood found on the trunk of the car after Warren’s murder but that he told her it was theatrical blood.
The prosecution interviewed Terri for more than two hours, but the defense only took six minutes.
Brian’s father recounted the night of the murder, including watching 1984. He also recounted how Brian II had said that the blood on the car was from a cut finger.
One of the final witnesses in the trial was Dr Paul Spragg.
Dr. Spragg was hired to perform a sanity evaluation on Brian. Dr Spragg said that while it might look like Brian planned the killing, he would call it an inference.
Dr Spragg claimed Brian spent so much time researching murder and serial killers that it is more likely that Brian was indulging his interest to the max, rather than plotting a murder.
The jury deliberated in the case for around two days.
They returned their verdict on Friday, February 3, 2023.
Brian was found guilty of first degree murder and of tampering with a deceased human body and tampering with evidence..
Brian displayed no emotion as the verdict was read.
“Warren Barnes lost his life in the most violent of ways. His friends, family and community suffer his loss,” said Trish Mahre, assistant district attorney. “This outcome demonstrates the checks and balances that exist within the criminal justice system. Justice prevailed when the jury rendered guilty verdicts holding the defendant legally accountable for his horrendous crimes.”
Terri spoke as she left the court room.
“I would just like to express our family’s deep and sincere sympathies to the community and family of Mr. Barnes.”
Brian was sentenced on Monday, February 6, 2023.
Terri spoke that day and she sobbed and shook as she did. She said Brian was a young man with mental defects who always knew “he was not like other people.”
Terri said she continues to live in a place of darkness and sadness. She ended her statement by begging the court to show Brian mercy and asking for better mental health care, saying the odds were stacked against Brian Jr from the start.
More than 30 of Warren’s friends and family showed up in court that day.
Family members and friends stressed that Barnes counted even though he chose to live outside.
They noted that he was never known to beg or to hassle passersby. He had a stock phrase for those who wished him a nice day: “And you also.” He shared his daily Subway sandwiches with the birds that would gather around his scuffed boots.
“He would help anyone who needed anything, including the defendant,” Barnes’ cousin Joanne Barnes Graham said in court. “He was not a throwaway person.”
Just as a side note, a memorial sculpture was eventually erected in the breezeway near where Warren used to sit. It is a metal replica of his chair with a stack of books etched with the titles of some of his favorite Westerns. An inscription on the back of one of the books reads, “And you also.”
Judge Richard Gurley said after 37 years of serving different capacities in the court system including 16 years as a judge, this was one of the most horrific cases he’s ever experienced.
The Judge also stated that although it was evident that Brian suffered from mental problems and viewed things differently, murder was on his mind for ‘quite some time’.
Judge Gurley sentenced Brian to the rest of his natural life in prison plus 13.5 years without parole.
CLIPS USED IN THE PODCAST
SOURCE LIST
https://www.westernslopenow.com/brian-cohee-trial/cohee-trial-dad-takes-the-stand
https://www.kkco11news.com/2021/03/08/grim-details-emerge-from-killing-of-local-homeless-man
https://www.kkco11news.com/2021/09/24/man-accused-murder-appears-court
https://www.kkco11news.com/video/2023/01/31/brian-cohees-path-committing-murder
https://www.kkco11news.com/2023/01/24/brian-cohee-trial-continues
https://www.kkco11news.com/2023/01/20/brian-cohee-trial
https://www.westernslopenow.com/brian-cohee-trial/brian-cohees-mom-takes-the-stand
https://www.kkco11news.com/2023/02/01/defense-psychologist-explains-brian-cohees-mind
https://www.westernslopenow.com/brian-cohee-trial/cohee-trial-jury-still-deliberating