Teen ‘Mastermind’ in 7-Year-Old’s Kidnapping Learns Fate

A Wisconsin teenager has been sentenced to a decade in prison for orchestrating the armed kidnapping of a 7-year-old boy outside his father’s home and holding him for a $100,000 ransom.

Milwaukee County Circuit Judge David Borowski sentenced Barry Allen Coleman on Friday to 10 years in a state correctional facility, followed by seven years of extended supervision, court records show. Coleman received credit for 451 days already served.

Coleman pleaded guilty in July to robbery with use of force and possession of a firearm by an adjudicated delinquent.

As part of the plea agreement, prosecutors dismissed charges alleging kidnapping with a dangerous weapon as a party to a crime and possession of a dangerous weapon by a person under 18. The dismissed offenses were nevertheless read aloud during sentencing.

At the hearing, Coleman apologized to Jamal White and his family, saying he was “truly sorry” for what he had done.

“I am the only person responsible for my actions,” Coleman said, according to Milwaukee ABC affiliate WISN. He continued with an apology.

“I took him away as he was yelling for me not to take him away from his family,” the defendant said. “I knew it was wrong then, and I know it was wrong now.”

Borowski described Coleman’s behavior as “aggravated” and “heinous,” but said the defendant’s age played a significant role in the sentence.

“The only reason, Mr. Coleman, we’re discussing the numbers we’re discussing is because of your age,” Borowski said, according to local NBC affiliate WTMJ-TV. The judge indicated that the seriousness of the crime could otherwise have warranted a much longer period of initial confinement.

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As Law&Crime previously reported, Coleman was 14 when prosecutors accused him of devising a plan to rob Jamal White’s parents. The alleged robbery escalated into the child’s kidnapping in July 2025.

A probable cause affidavit states that Jamal’s father told Milwaukee police he and his son were returning from a park when a white Jeep Renegade pulled into their driveway and blocked their vehicle. An armed man wearing black exited the SUV. The father ran into the house, while Jamal fled toward the backyard.

“He heard his son continually screaming, ‘Daddy!’ and when he looked outside he observed the black male get back into the car and the car drove off with his son inside,” the affidavit states.

Investigators said surveillance video showed co-defendant Fabian Johnson pointing a handgun as Coleman, who was also armed, pursued Jamal. Coleman allegedly picked up the boy and carried him to the waiting Jeep, which Corey Williams is accused of driving away.

Williams later told detectives that Coleman initially intended to rob Jamal’s mother, whom he described as “a well-known drug dealer” who carried cash and drugs. When she failed to return home, Coleman allegedly redirected the plan toward Jamal’s father. After the father escaped into the house, Williams said Coleman declared that “the plan had changed” and decided to hold the child for ransom.

According to the affidavit, Johnson called Jamal’s mother and demanded $100,000 in cash and jewelry for her son’s safe return. The three suspects allegedly kept the boy overnight at Williams’ residence.

Williams also told investigators that Coleman and Johnson discussed physically harming Jamal to demonstrate that they were serious about the ransom demand. They abandoned the idea after Williams objected, according to the affidavit.

Police rescued Jamal approximately 24 hours after the kidnapping. The boy later told investigators that he spent the time playing with toys, watching cartoons and eating McDonald’s while held captive.

Prosecutors have previously called Coleman the “mastermind” of the kidnapping scheme. Williams and Johnson have also been charged in connection with the case.

Court records show that the cases against Williams and Johnson are still pending.