Cohee found guilty

Cohee pleaded not guilty by insanity. During his trial, which started Jan. 17, his attorneys argued Cohee’s diagnosed mental health disorders — including major depressive disorder, ADHD and autism — combined with environmental stressors caused him to become insane when he saw Barnes, and kill him.

In Colorado, in order to be found not legally sane at the time of a crime, a person must be found incapable of distinguishing right from wrong at the time a crime is committed because of a mental disease or defect.

The prosecution argued Cohee had admitted to planning to kill someone, specifically a homeless person, for months, and attempted to get rid of Barnes’s body, showing he understood consequences of his actions.

Two psychologists with the state of Colorado who examined Cohee for his insanity plea concluded he was not insane for the purposes of the plea at the time of the murder. Another psychologist, who performed a separate examination on behalf of the defense, said Cohee was experiencing a psychotic episode that was triggered by seeing Barnes, and abated soon after, rendering him insane.

Cohee was also charged with tampering with a deceased human body and tampering with evidence. He was found guilty on both those counts.

Cohee was arrested March 1, 2021 after his parents found Barnes’s head and hands in his closet. He had attempted to get rid of the rest of Barnes’ body at the Blue Heron boat ramp, where he got his car stuck in the Colorado River.