On February 27th 2021 Brian decided to act on his disturbing impulses that led to the death of an innocent homeless man named Warren Barnes.
Brian Cohee was only 19 at the time of his crimes however had been obsessed with murder since the age of 15. He was fixated on the feeling of murdering another individual and wanted to gain fame and notoriety, just like the killers he idolized. Brian also claimed he suffered from some mental health issues stating, during interrogation, ‘I have major depressive disorder’. Brian also spoke about the fact he experienced hallucinations, we have included the clip below.
On the night of the crime Brian was driving around in search of a victim and ideally wanted to take a prostitute off the street. Brain often went on these drives but never went through with his plans, tonight was different. While driving he spotted Warren Barnes asleep under a bridge. Brian stopped his car and crept over to Warren all while holding the 12 inch kitchen knife in his hands. He then proceeded to attack the neck of the defenseless man. Warren woke up during the attack and asked why he was doing this. Below is a segment where Brian describes the attack, note that during this description he becomes visibly excited.
The attack was so brutal that Brian decapitated Warren and cut his hands off. Below is a clip of Brian describing how he gave Warren ‘a joker smile’, clearly proud of his handiwork.
Brian then took the head and hands as a souvenir and hid these items in his cupboard at home.
Once Brian had stashed his trophies he then loaded the body into the boot of his car before driving out to the river. Backing his truck down a ramp as close as he could Brian then opened the boot and threw Warren's headless body into the river. However Brian hadn’t realized that in order to get up the ramp he needed 4 wheel drive and was stranded. Eventually Brian's car ended up half submerged in the river. Below he is laughing about the fact that this is all people will remember him for.
Reluctantly Brian then called his parents who in turn called the police to help tow his car from the lake. At this point his parents and police were blissfully unaware of the brutal crimes he had just committed. Brian's mother can be seen laughing and joking with detectives while Brian also seems completely unbothered.
Once the car was removed from the river the horrifying signs began to show. Firstly police noticed blood stains on the car's bumper before they found a pair of bloody gloves that Brian had failed to dispose of. Brian is questioned at the scene however dismisses the question by saying he doesn’t know where they are from. The final nail in the coffin is when Brian’s mother finds the human remains in his closet and calls the police. I can’t imagine the impact this discovery will have had on his mom. Once he is brought in for questioning he wastes no time in stating ‘I murdered someone.’
I have to say, having watched the full interrogation, that Brian is incredibly relaxed about the fact he faces a lengthy term in prison. When describing his actions he seems proud of what he has done and only regrets that he was caught. It's apparent that Brian wanted to gain fame and notoriety for his crime as he states very plainly below.
Brian also gave another reason for his crimes stating he wanted to experience the feeling of killing someone however it didn’t quite live up to his expectations… The below quote seems like Brian may be showing a shed of remorse here however this comment only comes about because of the consequences he now faces.
Overall Brian was a merciless killer who had no regard for his victims life. The interrogation footage alone proves that Brian should never be allowed to walk free again. In February 2023 the jury agreed with this and found Brian guilty of first degree murder and he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.