Scarier Than Fiction: Brian Cohee

On March 01, 2021, 54 year old Terri Cohee called 911. She had discovered something disturbing in her son’s closet. When asked what it was, her distraught voice choked back tears as she told the 911 dispatcher she thought it was a human head.

After being sent out to the Cohee home, Mesa County Sheriff’s Department found a severed head and a pair of severed hands in white plastic garbage bags. The body parts had been in the possession of the caller’s 19 year old son, Brian Cohee.

The recent high school graduate calmly and openly admitted the body parts were his, and he accompanied detectives to the station for questioning. 

The Murder in Cohee’s own Words

19 year old Brian Cohee told detectives he wondered for years what it would feel like to take someone’s life. Furthermore, he wondered what it would be like to dismember a body. 

He openly discussed how he idolized serial killers, including Ted Bundy and the Zodiac Killer. According to them, the act of killing was the best feeling in the world. During his interrogation with police he often quoted these men. From early on, it was apparent he made the connection of notoriety and fame with serial killers and the act of killing.

Cohee showed no remorse during the interrogation. When speaking to the detective, he freely demonstrated the act of killing Warren Barnes, the homeless man who found himself on the opposite end of Cohee’s knife under a bridge. 

He explained he pulled back the canvas the 69 year old man had been covering himself with, straddled over him, and stabbed him repeatedly in the neck. Cohee growled and grunted, making animalistic noises as he stabbed Barnes. He then cut open his stomach to see his guts, commenting on how pink they were. Lastly, Cohee removed the head and hands, taking them home with him.

Before he found Barnes, Cohee explained he regularly searched for victims when he drove around Grand Junction, Colorado. His desired targets were prostitutes and the homeless. As he told the detectives; 

“Police, they don’t seem to care as much about high-risk individuals. Homeless people, prostitutes, etc.”

It is obvious this crime had been premeditated with the steps he had taken finding a victim. In addition to wearing three sets of gloves to conceal his fingerprints from the scene, he also had clothes chosen for the occasion. On the night of the murder Cohee was wearing a dark blue jumpsuit from the Michael Myers costume he purchased the previous year.

“I just associated that piece of, that article of clothing with violence. That’s why I was wearing it.”

Signs of a Killer

Cohee exhibited early signs of a deprived mind. His internet search history betrayed him, revealing searches on  “how to cope with murderous thoughts” and “homicidal thoughts every day.” Other google inquiries included “how do people react at being held at knife point,” and “how deadly is a neck stab wound.” 

In addition to questions, he researched notorious killers, such as Andrea Yates. Yates was convicted of killing her five young children in the bathtub in 2001. She contributed the murderous act to her postpartum depression and schizophrenia. Cohee tried to make a connection for his own murderous act with his depression, ADHD, and autism.

Cohee told detectives of past acts of animal cruelty he participated in. He would capture, murder, and dismember neighborhood cats.

During his last year of high school his parents found his kill kit. The backpack contained hammers, shovels, knives, large zip ties, duct tape, and a saw. He admitted the collection was “…meant for hurting people.”

Cohee’s parents gave him an ultimatum; if he didn’t throw away the kit, they would call the police. After the disposal of the items authorities were not alerted and no further action was taken.

Once news of the murder hit the media, Cohee’s high school teachers were not surprised by the atrocity he committed. One teacher claimed;

“I mean, I’ve been doing this for 23 years but it just always felt uneasy around Brian, and just like he needed much more help than we could offer him in a public school setting. And so when I saw that, I hated to say I wasn’t necessarily surprised that his path could have lead to that point.”

When asked if another teacher was surprised, they replied;

“No, I wasn’t. I was more let down by the system because like we had called it out that he needed help. Like with all those kind of flags were going off and it still happened.”

Cohee’s Thoughts on Killing

Cohee told police if he could go back in time, he would probably not commit the murder. Not because it was wrong, not because he took an innocent life, but because it wasn’t what he thought it was going to feel like. When asked by police what he thought it was going to be like, he answered;

“I thought it was going to be the best feeling in the world.” 

At the end of the interview the detective asked if he had enjoyed killing Warren Barnes. Surprisingly, for a young man who had so much to say at the ready, Cohee had to stop and think. After a moment reflecting on the question, he answered;

“I don’t know. I’m just sort of neutral on the whole thing. I didn’t enjoy it, but I didn’t hate it.”

Brian Cohee plead not guilty by reason of insanity. In January 2023 he went to trial and was found guilty. Cohee was sentenced to life without parole.

Cohee’s Victim, Never Forgotten

Warren Barnes, a 69 year old homeless man, was Brian Cohee’s unfortunate victim the night of February 27, 2021.

Barnes was known around Grand Junction, Colorado. He was frequently seen outside a bridal store where he sat in a chair and regularly read books. In fact, the community called him ‘The Reading Man.’ The neighborhood merchants would give him books, food, and drink. They described him as “quiet” and “gentle.”

Less than a year after he was killed, a memorial was constructed for Barnes by Tim Navin. The memorial consists of a tree, a replica of the chair he used to sit in, and a stack of books in the seat of the chair. It is located just outside of the bridal store where Barnes regularly sat and read.

Cohee thought no one would miss the homeless man, but he was gravely mistaken and proven wrong by the outpouring of love by the community.