Man accused of beheading father hit with terrorism charges
The man who allegedly killed his father, decapitated his head and showed it off on YouTube, has now been hit with terrorism charges, Pennsylvania officials have announced.
Justin Mohn, 32, was previously charged with first-degree murder, abuse of a corpse and possession of an instrument of crime. On Thursday, officials filed a second criminal affidavit against the man.
He has now been hit with three counts of terrorism, two additional counts of possession of an instrument of crime, one count of robbery, carrying firearms without a license, theft by unlawful taking, receiving stolen property, criminal use of a communication facility, terroristic threats and deviant trespassing.
Mr Mohn is being held in Bucks County Correctional Facility without bail. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for 2 April. The man had no previous criminal charges before the incident.
Michael Mohn, 68, was killed on 30 January. An autopsy determined that he had been shot in the head before he was decapitated with a machete and knife. The suspect then fled the scene in his father’s 2009 Toyota Carolla, police said.
His mother, Denice Mohn, discovered his father’s body at the residence and called the police.
Later, they were informed of the son’s 14-minute YouTube video in which he identified himself and his father and held up the man’s head in a plastic bag before it was spotted in a cooking pot, according to LevittownNow.com.
The suspect continued rambling in the video and called on “patriots” and “militias” to kill federal employees. His father had been employed with the Army Corps of Engineers.
“He is now in hell for eternity as a traitor to his country,” Mr Mohn said, according to authorities. YouTube removed the video hours after it was posted.
The younger Mohn also claimed to be the messiah and said many people wanted to see him as president.
“I am now officially the acting president of America under martial law,” he said, while simultaneously calling for a “second American Revolution”.
Mr Mohn then went further and provided a list of federal officials who should be captured and publicly executed, including a US District Judge. Officials said he said the judge’s name and address on camera.
During a search of the residence the day after the murder, officials found a 9mm shell casing, a kitchen knife and a large machete in a downstairs bathroom. Officials discovered blood stains on the computer the man used to upload his video.
Despite fleeing the scene, police were able to track Mr Mohn’s cell phone to the National Guard Training Center in Lebanon County. He was spotted climbing a barbed wire fence and entered a secure military installation, according to a news release.
Officials with the Pennsylvania State Police took him into custody. Officials said they subsequently found a USB drive in the man’s possession which had photos of federal buildings and instructions on how to make an explosive device.
The firearm he used in the attack was purchased legally, authorities said. He did not have a license to carry a concealed firearm. Before the attack, the man had self-published several books and had uploaded songs to Spotify.
He’d previously sued the federal government for allowing him to take out student loan debt he had to repay, but the complaint was shot down in court four times. The suit claimed that he’d spent years not being able to find a good-paying job and asked for $10m.
Mr Mohn had spent time in Colorado where he was employed at a credit union after college.
He later went to work at an insurance company that paid him more money. He later sued his employer, Progressive Insurance, because he was unable to move up in the company because of his being a “man”.
He eventually moved back in with his parents.
The ongoing investigation is being handled by the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office.
