The Disturbing Case of Brian Cohee: How a Dark Fantasy Became Reality, Leading to the Death of a Homeless Man

The story of Brian Cohee Jr. is one that leaves a lasting impression.

It is not just about the brutality of the crime he committed, but for the chilling way he described it. 

In February 2021, at just 19 years old, Cohee murdered 69-year-old Warren Barnes.

Barnes was a homeless man living in Grand Junction, Colorado. 

Cohee’s actions didn’t stop at murder.

He decapitated, dismembered, and mutilated Barnes's body, before hiding parts of it in his home. 

This particular case gained significant media attention in 2021.

This was because of Cohee's horrifying confessions during police interrogations, which were later made public.

His calm demeanor and complete lack of remorse during these confessions stunned everyone following the case.

Warren Barnes

Background

Brian Cohee Jr. was no stranger to mental health issues. 

Cohee was diagnosed with major depressive disorder, ADHD, and high-functioning Asperger's syndrome.

He had been struggling for years before the murder took place.

By the time he was 19, Cohee had become fascinated with the idea of murder.

He was influenced by popular serial killers like Ted Bundy and the Zodiac. 

Cohee confessed that he had been planning the crime for six months.

He said he was driven by the curiosity about what it would feel like to take a life. 

His choice of victim, Warren Barnes, was strategic.

Cohee believed that because Barnes was homeless, his death would go unnoticed.

Brian Cohee was a familiar face in Grand Junction. 

Despite his mental health issues, he was known to locals as a kind man who kept to himself. 

Sadly, Cohee Barnes’s life took a tragic turn when he decided to fulfill one of his dark fantasies. 

A Night of Brutality: The Murder of Warren Barnes

On the night of February 27, 2021, Cohee set out to make his sinister thoughts a reality.

Cohee armed himself with a large kitchen knife and a small bat for self-defense.

He drove around aimlessly for about an hour before finding his target—Warren Barnes, who was fast asleep under a bridge. 

Cohee's attack was brutal and calculated. 

He stabbed Barnes repeatedly in the neck, describing the experience as surprisingly easy. 

He recounted how Barnes, in his panic, pleaded for his life, asking, "What are you doing?" 

But Cohee was unfazed. 

He continued to stab Barnes until the older man took his last breath.

After the murder, Cohee didn’t stop at simply disposing of the body. 

He decapitated Barnes and severed his hands.

Cohee then placed them in plastic bags to keep as trophies. 

He dismembered the rest of the body, leaving some parts at the scene and taking others back to his home. 

In a gruesome detail, Cohee explained how he cut open Barnes's belly just to see what his guts looked like.

You can watch the shocking moment below, where Cohee Brian made these confessions.

Cohee's lack of remorse was clear in the way he casually described the murder to the detectives.

He showed no sign of guilt. 

Instead, Brian Cohee laughed and joked about the act as if it were a scene from a movie or video game.

His calm and emotionless behavior during the interrogation further highlighted the disturbing nature of his crime.

Brian Cohee during the interrogation

From Gruesome Discovery to Arrest

The investigation into Warren Barnes’s murder began after Cohee’s mother found the severed head and hands in her son's closet. 

Horrified, she immediately called 911, which led to Cohee's arrest on March 1, 2021.

Cohee, however, was quick to confess as seen in the video above.

He admitted to the murder and provided detectives with a detailed account of how he carried out the crime.

During his interrogation, Cohee appeared almost eager to share the details of what he had done.

He detailed how he had planned the murder for months, driven by a twisted curiosity about what it would feel like to kill someone. 

He also admitted that he had been influenced by famous serial killers, whose stories he had read and idolized.

Brian Cohee’s mental state at the time of the murder became a key focus of the investigation.

Several psychologists gave conflicting views on whether his mental illnesses affected his ability to tell right from wrong.

Cohee’s behavior during the interrogation showed he was aware of what he had done. 

He also seemed to take some satisfaction in recounting it to the officers.

Additionally, Cohee's detailed knowledge of forensics, including the stages of decomposition, added to the chilling nature of the case.

Brian Cohee

Justice Served: The Trial and Its Aftermath

The trial of Brian Cohee Jr. began in early 2023 and lasted only 12 days. 

His defense team tried to plead not guilty by reason of insanity, but that didn't work. 

This was because the testimonies of the psychologists were conflicting.

Some argued that Cohee’s mental illnesses had prevented him from understanding the gravity of his actions.

Others believed that Brian Cohee was fully aware of what he had done.

Additionally, the prosecution portrayed Cohee as a cold-blooded killer who had planned the murder in advance.

In the end, the jury sided with the prosecution.

Judge Richard Gurley, who presided over the case, called it one of the most horrific crimes he had seen in his 37-year career. 

Brian Cohee was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Cohee’s mother, Terri, expressed deep sympathy for the victim’s family and acknowledged the pain they had endured.

Additionally, Warren Barnes’s loved ones installed a memorial sculpture in his honor, a tribute to a man whose life was tragically cut short.

Even though justice has been served, it can never replace the pain of losing a loved one, as felt by Warren Barnes’s family.

Here’s a longer video on Brian Cohee's case, brought to you by True Crime Psychology, for those who want to dive deeper.

 

In another case, a woman was brutally murdered and strangled by a man she met at a bar for casual drinks.

Click here to see more details about that case.

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