The gruesome discovery of a severed head in her son's bedroom led Terri Cohee to report her then-19-year-old son Brian to Colorado police for murder, RadarOnline.com has learned.
The shocking true crime story was revealed on Explore With Us' YouTube documentary, Parents Discover Teen Son's Horrifying Secret.
In the documentary, police dash camera footage captured the moment officers arrived at the Cohee's home in 2021 to confront Brian over the murder and dismemberment of 61-year-old homeless man Warren Barnes.
"Your parents have concerns over some stuff they may have found in your room? What would that be?" the officer asked the teenager.
Brian calmly responded, "Yeah, I believe so, a human head and hands. From that fella that went missing. I murdered him with a knife."
After law enforcement asked Brian why he did, he explained, "I always wondered what murder would feel like."
Terri later recalled the heinous discovery she made in her son's bedroom that prompted her 911 call.
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"I was in his room cleaning up, putting some things away and he has a rubber made container in his closet and so I just kind of started digging through," Terri said. "I saw a plastic bag and I was like what in the world is this, I picked it up and it was heavy and I held it in my hands, maggots covering it."
"I take it to the sink, it was double bagged so I opened the first bag, and I didn't open the second bag. I called his father and said, 'You need to get over here right now.'"
During her 911 call, Terri confessed to the dispatcher that her son had taken a disturbing interest in "death and mortality."
Brian reportedly admitted to killing the homeless man with a kitchen knife. He said he had been plotting to murder someone for more than six months and planned to kill either a homeless person or sex worker under the belief that no one would 'miss them.'"
Brian further admitted to investigators that he was "growling" and "making animalistic noises" while he stabbed Barnes to death.
At trial, Brian pleaded insanity. He was found guilty of first-degree murder, two counts of tampering with a dead body, and tampering with evidence. He was sentenced to life behind bars without the possibility of parole in 2023.
Judge Richard Gurley described the crime as one of the most horrific acts he'd witnessed in his 37-year career. Gurley additionally noted that while it was clear Brian suffered from mental health problems, murder had been at the forefront of his mind for "quite some time."