February 02, 2024
Daniella Heminghaus/USA TODAY NETWORK
Bucks County District Attorney Jennifer Schorn, above left, provides an update on the investigation of Justin Mohn, 32, who is charged with fatally shooting his father and severing his head.
Justin Mohn, the man accused of decapitating his father at their home in Levittown, allegedly traveled to a Pennsylvania National Guard base before his arrest Tuesday in an effort to incite a state rebellion against the federal government, Bucks County prosecutors said Friday.
Mohn, 32, allegedly told prosecutors he had hoped to speak with Gov. Josh Shapiro to convince him to "join forces" with his purported militia and raise arms against the feds. Mohn was arrested while trespassing on the grounds of the National Guard's headquarters in Fort Indiantown Gap — about 100 miles away, in Lebanon County — where he was found with a loaded handgun and surrendered to authorities, police said.
Mohn is charged with first-degree murder and abuse of a corpse in the killing of Michael Mohn, 68, a longtime employee of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Philadelphia. He allegedly purchased his gun Monday at a gun shop in Croydon, Bucks County District Attorney Jennifer Schorn said at a news conference Friday.
An autopsy determined that Michael Mohn was fatally shot in the head before his son allegedly used a knife and machete to sever his neck, Shorn said. The gun recovered by police was missing a single round.
In a video Mohn posted to his YouTube channel Tuesday, he held up his father's head in a plastic bag and described him as a traitor, prosecutors said. Mohn read a prepared speech that continued for more than 14 minutes, including threats against the Biden administration, a rant about the nation's borders and a proclamation that he was declaring martial law as the new acting U.S. president, according to investigators.
Mohn is a graduate of Neshaminy High School and Penn State University. He previously spent time in Colorado working as a contractor for Microsoft, but returned home to live with his parents, prosecutors said. He recently had been unemployed.
Michael Mohn's body was found by his wife, who notified authorities and said her son had left the home in his father's car. The YouTube video, which had been filmed at the family home, was later brought to the attention of investigators as they searched for Mohn.
Investigators arrested Mohn at the National Guard base at 9:25 p.m. Tuesday after tracking him down by using cell phone location data. But they feared the possibility of an extended search.
"We were discussing that if Justin hadn't been apprehended, can you imagine the manhunt that would have been underway shortly thereafter and how everything would have been focused on finding him — and the entire community would have been in a state of panic," Middletown Township Police Chief Joseph Bartorilla said.
Schorn said the investigation remains in its early stages and may continue for months. It's possible Mohn will face federal charges, or additional charges in Bucks County, Schorn said. Authorities are looking into whether he had any established contact with others who planned to take up his cause.
Mohn has no history of diagnosed mental health issues and there are no records of him having a voluntary or involuntary commitment for inpatient psychiatric treatment, Schorn said.
"With the evidence we have gathered thus far, this individual was acting with clear mind, aware of his actions and proud of his consequences," she said.
Days before purchasing his gun, Mohn allegedly surrendered his state medical marijuana card so he could legally purchase a firearm, prosecutors said. Investigators have not detailed any events that led up to Mohn's alleged actions or how long he may have been planning them.
The video Mohn posted online was removed by YouTube and other social media platforms hours after it was uploaded. Schorn said it appeared to have been viewed thousands of times.
"That was incredibly concerning," Schorn said. "I mean, obviously, from evidentiary value, that video is very important and we need to have possession of that. But it's quite horrifying how many views we understand it had before it was taken down."
Since Mohn's arrest, reports have emerged of neighbors describing unusual behavior from him. His former roommate in Colorado told CNN that Mohn had shown signs of paranoia for years and thought the government was "out to get him." Mohn was an amateur writer and musician who shared his work online, including material that alluded to his views. In multiple lawsuits Mohn filed against the U.S. government, he reportedly claimed his student loans were illegitimate because he wasn't able to get a job and pay them back — which he attributed to being an "overeducated white man."
Middletown Township police knew of three prior incidents involving Mohn, but none of them indicated a serious threat that required more attention, Bartorilla said. In 2011, he was involved in an argument in the driveway of his family's home, but it was not a criminal matter. In 2019, Mohn told police he had been threatened by someone from an insurance company that he was suing in Ohio and that he wanted it documented.
The third incident was a report from an unnamed employer in Philadelphia who called to express concern about Mohn's behavior at work. The employer was seeking legal advice about how to fire Mohn, but police referred the matter to other legal resources.
"We keep hearing that police were outside of his home at various times — outside of what I just mentioned — (but) I can only speak for the Middletown Township Police Department," Bartorilla said. "We were not."
The concern from Mohn's former employer in Philadelphia stemmed from his online writings, authorities said. Middletown police did not follow up on the matter with Mohn.
"Based on the information that the officer gathered and the decision the officer made, I don't think we needed to have contact," Bartorilla said.
Mohn is being held without bail at the Bucks County Correctional Facility.
"Our thoughts are with this family," Schorn said. "This is the unimaginable. That's going to take time. We're going to provide the resources for this family, but this is truly just unimaginable for them."
