When parents face the devastating reality of their child’s shocking actions, it’s a scenario filled with despair and disbelief. Such was the case for the parents of Brian Cohee Jr., whose life took a dark turn in 2021.
At the time, 19-year-old Brian was arrested under horrifying circumstances. The unsettling chain of events began when his mother, after making a gruesome discovery in her son’s bedroom, frantically dialed 911. She believed she had found a severed head. It was later confirmed that Brian had killed Warren Barnes, a 69-year-old local homeless man who typically slept under a bridge in Grand Junction, Colorado. Brian’s choice of victim seemed coldly calculated, as he assumed that the disappearance of a homeless man might go unnoticed.
The police were promptly called to the family’s home. In a chilling exchange captured on bodycam footage, which later surfaced in a YouTube documentary about the case, an officer is seen questioning Brian:
“Your parents have some concerns about some stuff that they may have found in your room?”
Brian’s unsettlingly calm response was, “Yeah, I believe so.”
When pressed to specify what was found, Brian chillingly revealed, “A human head and hands.” The footage continued, showing the officer asking Brian’s father to take him inside the house to show where the remains were located. Outside, a heartbreaking scene unfolded as Brian’s mother was seen curled up on the front lawn, crying hysterically, while his brother Andy was asked to stay with her and offer consolation.
Walking towards the house, Brian’s father expressed his dread about the disturbing find:
“I had a bad feeling about what happened this weekend. She said there’s a bag in his closet and she opened it up and she called me and said, ‘Get over here right now.'”
The legal proceedings culminated in February 2023 when Brian was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life imprisonment. Despite his plea of not guilty by reason of insanity, the jury was unconvinced, and the plea was rejected. A subsequent psychological evaluation determined that Brian did not meet the legal standards for insanity at the time of the crime.
Judge Richard Gurley, presiding over the case, described the atrocities as among the worst he had encountered in his career.
Now 22, Brian Cohee Jr. is incarcerated at the Buena Vista Correctional Complex, a facility housing approximately 1,300 inmates, as reported by Diario AS. This tragic tale serves as a grim reminder of the depths of human depravity and the profound impact of such acts on the families of both the perpetrator and the victim.