The Murder of Warren "The Reading Man" Barnes

In a two day span, from February 28th to March 1st 2021, officers from Mesa County Sheriff’s office in Grand Junction, CO would respond to four different calls in various parts of the city that were all linked in a horrific, gruesome tale of murder. They would soon identify that a recently-reported missing 69 year-old man by the name of Warren Barnes, would be identified as the victim of a vicious crime. Warren was affectionately known as "the Reading Man" due to his love for reading and was a loved staple in the community. What the community would soon learn was more horrifying than they could have imagined. The investigation quickly turned to a 19-year old by the name of Brian Cohee Jr. as the perpetrator behind this violent act of murder. Make sure to listen to this episode as Chelsea and Bailey dive into concepts from pleading insanity, mental health concerns, how the system handles significant mental health issues and what makes a murderer; is it more environment or is it more genetic? One thing is for sure, though, that the world is a little bit less of a positive place due to the loss of Grand Junction's Reading Man, Warren Barnes. 

 

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​​Art for the podcast was created by Kelly Steen. Editing/Production for the podcast by Bltzwolff.

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Video:

Parents Discover Teen Son's Horrifying Secret (youtube.com)

 

References:

Hagan, R. (2023, February 4). Verdict: Guilty of all charges. WesternSlopeNow.com. https://www.westernslopenow.com/brian-cohee-trial/brian-cohee-is-found-guilty-of-all-charges/

McBrayer, K. (2023, January 30). Brian Cohee: The events leading to murder. https://www.kkco11news.com. https://www.kkco11news.com/2023/01/30/brian-cohee-events-leading-murder/

McBrayer, K. (2023a, January 28). The prosecution rests their case Brian Cohee. https://www.kjct8.com. https://www.kjct8.com/2023/01/28/prosecution-rests-their-case-brian-cohee/

Klomhaus, S., & Biller, R. (2023, February 4). Cohee found guilty. Mesa County. https://www.mesacounty.us/news/district-attorney/cohee-found-guilty

Lofholm, N. (2023, February 10). Killer of Warren Barnes, Grand Junction’s “Reading man,” sentenced to life in prison. The Colorado Sun. https://coloradosun.com/2023/02/07/warren-barnes-reading-man-killer-sentenced/

Nath, D. (2024, March 26). Who is Brian Cohee and what did he do?. ComingSoon.net - Movie Trailers, TV & Streaming News, and More. https://www.comingsoon.net/true-crime/news/1623617-who-is-brian-cohee-and-what-did-he-do

Thornton, M. (2023, February 13). “and you also”: Memorial in grand junction honors beloved community member Warren Barnes. RMPBS. https://www.rmpbs.org/blogs/news/warren-barnes-memorial-grand-junction/