A familiar face on the streets of Grand Junction, Colorado, goes missing in February 2021. Known as “The Reading Man,” Warren Barnes is described as kind and helpful by those who saw him daily at his favorite place to read. Just days after the man's disappearance, a mom makes a gruesome discovery while cleaning her 19-year-old son’s bedroom. But it makes no sense: her son, diagnosed with autism as a child, had never been violent towards anyone and had no connection to The Reading Man. Is there a plausible explanation for what she finds? Or is this a clear case of murder committed by a very matter-of-fact murderer? The co-hosts explore the possibilities in this edition of The Escape Pod.

BE ADVISED: You can’t escape the grizzly details of this truly heinous true crime. This episode contains content that listeners may find extremely disturbing.

Bullet Points of Key Topics and Markers:

Topic #1 4:30 Secret Service contacts The Escape Pod? (True story!)

Topic #2 10:18 A mom’s disturbing discovery

Topic #3 19:52 Confession

Topic #4 30:37 The Reading Man

Topic #5 40:42 Escapism, co-host-style!

Resources & Links

• Warren Barnes

• US Teen Hid Head of Homeless Man He Murdered in Closet To Satisfy "Fascination With Morbid"

• Brian Cohee’s Mom Takes Stand

• Killer of Warren Barnes, Grand Junction’s “reading man,” sentenced to life in prison

• Mom Finds Severed Head in Her Son's Room

• Chilling Moment Killer Confessed to Storing Victim’s Severed Head in His Closet

• Grand Junction resident Warren Barnes, aka “the reading man” sits alone reading a book in an alley off Main Street in downtown Grand Junction on June 24, 2018. (William Woody, Special to The Colorado Sun)

• The teen accused of murdering Warren Barnes, known as the reading man of Grand Junction, told investigators he targeted a homeless person because he thought no one would miss. But people did, indeed, miss him. Friends commissioned a tribute to Barnes that was installed Nov. 20, 2021, by artist and ironworker Tim Navin. (Nancy Lofholm, Special to The Colorado Sun)

• Brian Cohee, Jr., Mesa County Jail Photo

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