# Mum Finds Severed Head in Wardrobe Before Killer Son Confesses > Terri Cohee called 911 after discovering a severed human head in her 19-year-old son Brian Cohee Jr's closet in Colorado, leading to his arrest and life sentence for the murder of Warren Barnes. - Publisher: Briefzora (https://briefzora.com) - URL: https://briefzora.com/mum-finds-severed-head-in-wardrobe-before-killer-son-confesses - Published: 2026-11-05T19:21:05+05:00 - Author: Briefzora Desk (https://briefzora.com/author/briefzora-desk) - Section: World - Topics: Digital Features, Features, Murderers and serial killers - Image: https://briefzora.com/uploads/2026/11/how-mum-of-teen-killer-found-severed-head-in-wardrobe-before-he-boast-tgscuf.webp ## Key points - Terri Cohee found a severed human head in a plastic bag inside her son's wardrobe in Colorado. - Brian Cohee Jr confessed on his driveway to murdering 69-year-old Warren Barnes. - Police recovered additional body parts belonging to the victim underneath a highway bridge. - Brian received a sentence of life in prison on February 6, 2023. - Interrogation footage of the killer describing the attack was featured in a documentary on Documentary+. ## Why it matters Warren Barnes lost his life in a violent attack, and the parents of Brian Cohee Jr saw their family life destroyed by the brutal actions of their 19-year-old son. ## Article ## Mother discovers gruesome find in Colorado home Terri Cohee dialed 911 from her Colorado home after discovering a severed human head wrapped in a plastic bag inside her son's wardrobe. Police arrived at the property where the mother directed them to the sink, explaining she had moved the gruesome remains and placed a towel over them. The night before the discovery, Terri and her husband had been out late when their 19-year-old son, **Brian Cohee Jr**, crashed his car and left it half-submerged in a river. Investigators later connected the vehicle accident and a mysterious red substance on the bumper to the horrific crime. ## The missing person case and chilling driveway confession Warren Barnes, a 69-year-old homeless man known locally as the reading man, had been reported missing on the morning of March 1, 2021. Officers responding to the missing person report went to the Cohee family home following the frantic 911 call from Terri. Brian stood calmly on the driveway as police approached, immediately admitting to the murder when questioned. "A human head and hands," the teenager told the officer, adding that he had killed the missing man with a knife out of curiosity about what murder felt like. ## Police recover remaining body parts under highway bridge Police searched the area underneath a highway bridge specified by Brian and quickly located additional human remains. Officers found an arm and a leg belonging to Warren, confirming the truth of the teenager's statements. Brian displayed such extreme calmness that officers did not place him in handcuffs during the initial encounter or while transporting him to the station for questioning. ## Parents speak to police about son's background Terri and her husband Brian Sr spoke with investigators in separate rooms while their son remained in custody. Terri told detectives that doctors had diagnosed Brian with ADHD and autism, noting professionals had warned about potential psychosis. Brian Sr mentioned that his son had experienced suicidal thoughts roughly three years prior to the incident, but emphasized that the teenager had never been physically violent before. "Something changed him," the father told police, describing how his son had recently grown extremely paranoid. ## Killer grins during detailed interrogation footage Brian sat smiling in the interview room and grinned while describing the attack to investigators. The teenager explained how he spotted Warren sleeping by railway tracks, stabbed him to death, and removed his hands, arms, and head. During the recorded interrogation, the killer asked if he could act out the murder for the officer. Demonstrating how he straddled the victim, Brian stated, "I just kept stabbing his neck," before adding that the act was surprisingly easy and that he was barely breaking a sweat. ## Life sentence delivered nearly two years later Brian predicted during questioning that he would receive a prison sentence of around 20 years. On February 6, 2023, a judge sentenced the murderer to life in prison without parole. A documentary featuring footage of the interrogation aired on Documentary+, sparking widespread online discussion about the disturbing nature of the case. ## Frequently asked questions ### Who was the victim of the murder in Colorado? The victim was 69-year-old Warren Barnes, a homeless man known locally as the reading man who was reported missing on March 1, 2021. ### What sentence did Brian Cohee Jr receive? Brian Cohee Jr was sentenced to life in prison on February 6, 2023. --- When citing, please link to https://briefzora.com/mum-finds-severed-head-in-wardrobe-before-killer-son-confesses and name Briefzora as the source.