"He heard his son continually screaming, 'Daddy!'" That's how a Milwaukee father described the moment he watched helplessly as armed men seized his 7-year-old boy from their own driveway last summer in a kidnapping that prosecutors say was orchestrated by another teenager just one year older than his captive.
Background
Barry Alan Coleman, now 15 years old, was 14 when authorities say he masterminded a scheme to rob the parents of 7-year-old Jamal White — a plan that spiraled into a harrowing gunpoint kidnapping in July 2025. According to a probable cause affidavit filed with Milwaukee County Circuit Court, the father told Milwaukee Police Department detectives that he and his son were returning home from a park when a white Jeep Renegade pulled into their driveway behind them, blocking their vehicle.
An armed man dressed entirely in black emerged from the SUV. The father ran inside the house while Jamal fled toward the backyard — but it was too late. Surveillance footage obtained by investigators showed co-defendant Fabian Johnson pointing a handgun while Coleman, who was also armed, chased after the terrified boy, picked him up and carried him back to the waiting Jeep.
Corey Williams allegedly drove the vehicle away with Jamal inside. The trio kept the child overnight at Williams' residence before police rescued him approximately 24 hours later.
The Investigation
"The allegations here are that, candidly, the defendant kidnapped another child at gunpoint," Milwaukee County Circuit Judge David Borowski said during Wednesday's hearing, according to CBS affiliate WDJT. "I was not going to accept plain robbery; I did not think that was appropriate."
Coleman pleaded guilty Wednesday to one count of robbery with use of force and one count of possession of a firearm by an adjudicated delinquent — charges filed after prosecutors successfully moved to have him tried as an adult. In exchange for the plea, prosecutors dismissed charges of kidnapping while using a dangerous weapon as a party to a crime and possession of a dangerous weapon by a person under 18, though those offenses will be read in at sentencing.
The agreement replaces an earlier negotiated plea that Judge Borowski rejected after concluding it was not in the interest of justice, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Williams told detectives that Coleman originally planned to rob Jamal's mother, whom he claimed was "a well-known drug dealer" known to carry cash and drugs. When she never returned home, authorities say Coleman shifted the plan to target the boy's father instead.
But after the father escaped into the house, Williams reportedly said Coleman announced "the plan had changed" — they would hold the boy for ransom. Investigators allege Johnson called Jamal's mother demanding $100,000 in cash and jewelry in exchange for her son's safe return.
"This was a terrifying experience for an innocent child taken at gunpoint from his own neighborhood," Milwaukee Police Department spokesperson Sgt. Michael Torres said in a statement following Coleman's plea. "Our detectives worked around the clock to ensure Jamal's safe return."
The Charges
Coleman faces up to 25 years in prison — including 15 years of initial confinement followed by 10 years of extended supervision — when Milwaukee County Circuit Judge David Borowski sentences him Oct. 9.
Co-defendants Corey Williams and Fabian Johnson have also been charged in connection with the case, though their proceedings remain ongoing.
Key Takeaways
- Barry Alan Coleman, now 15, pleaded guilty to robbery with use of force and possession of a firearm by an adjudicated delinquent
- Prosecutors allege he orchestrated the July 2025 gunpoint kidnapping of 7-year-old Jamal White in front of the boy's father
- The abduction from their Milwaukee driveway was captured on surveillance video showing Coleman chasing and carrying the child to a waiting Jeep
- Kidnappers demanded $100,000 ransom from the child's mother while holding him overnight at a co-defendant's residence
- Police rescued Jamal approximately 24 hours later; he told investigators he spent time playing with toys, watching cartoons and eating McDonald's during captivity
- Judge Borowski rejected an earlier plea agreement, insisting kidnapping charges could not simply be reduced to robbery
What's Next
Coleman is scheduled to be sentenced Oct. 9 before Milwaukee County Circuit Judge David Borowski, who will determine whether the maximum 25-year sentence — including 15 years of initial confinement followed by a decade of extended supervision — will be imposed.
Co-defendants Corey Williams and Fabian Johnson await their own court proceedings. Prosecutors have described Coleman as the "mastermind" behind the kidnapping plot.