A Bucks County man accused of killing his father and holding his decapitated head in a viral YouTube video was held for trial following a court hearing.
Justin Mohn, 32, of Levittown, faces murder, terrorism, theft and other charges in the slaying of his father, Michael Mohn, on Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2024.
Justin Mohn was arrested after he posted a 14-minute, 35-second video, titled “Mohn’s Militia – Call to Arms for American Patriots," online in which he displayed the decapitated head of his father at least twice, investigators said.
He will be held on nearly all of the charges he faced, though one terrorism charge was dropped following a court hearing on Tuesday, Sept. 10.
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NBC10's Deanna Durante was in court and was able to speak with Mohn after the hearing.
An accused killer speaks
While Mohn claimed he had a speech prepared, he told NBC10, "I don't have that speech on me," while dressed in a yellow prison jumpsuit as he was led out of court in handcuffs on Tuesday.
"I and a lot of other people around America believe that the federal government has betrayed America, they are destroying the country and we have to do something to take our country back," Mohn continued, when asked for comment.
Yet, when Durante pressed Mohn on how he believed the slaying of his father would help him further his goals, the accused killer admitted that he felt 'betrayed."
"He was a federal employee and betrayed me. I was trying to perform a citizen's arrest. He resisted that citizen's arrest," said Mohn. "It's lawful to use deadly force in that event."
In court, prosecutors argued Mohn had planned to kill his father and that he delivered a planned speech online, as during that nearly 15 minute tirade, he appeared to be reading from a script on a nearby computer.
According to prosecutors, this was a call to action and Mohn had wanted people to rise up and overthrow the U.S. government, as well as capture and kill federal agents and judges.
Mohn wrote letters to the National Guard base where he was arrested
Also in court, prosecutor Edward Louka said that Mohn had written several letters from the county prison to the governor and others.
Prosecutors said that Mohn even wrote to the head of the National Guard base, Fort Indiantown Gap, in Lebanon County, where he was caught after he fled Bucks County.
On the evening in which his father died, Mohn -- who was armed with a gun at the time -- is alleged to have driven his father's Toyota Corolla to that base where he allegedly jumped over the fence to gain access to the base before he was eventually apprehended.
In a letter to the commander of that base, which was read in court, Mohn apologized, said he wanted the National Guard to join his movement and suggested they enhance their security to keep people from wandering the base.
Louka also said that, among his other writings, Mohn had a "to do list" and prosecutors showed the court photos of Mohn buying a gun that, police believe, was used to kill his father before the beheading occurred.
"Essentially what this case is, Mr. Mohn, based on his beliefs, is making a call to arms to achieve the aims he believes in. He did that through violence. The violence was the murder of his father, who, it's obviously not a coincidence, was a federal employee," said Louka. "He, essentially, needed that murder to get his message across."
Mohn and his defense lawyers did not argue against the murder charges in court.
"I don't think there are any winners here"
Instead, Mohn's defense attorney, Steven Jones, made attempts to dismiss the terrorism charges, saying that while Mohn posted online that he was the head of a militia, in reality, he had no one backing him, had no followers and no one, aside from his father, was harmed.
"It's a tragic case. The loss of life is always tragic," said Jones outside the courtroom. "I don't think there are any winners here."
In discussing the details of the day, prosecutors said they believe Mohn killed his father when Michael Mohn was defenseless -- he was using the bathroom when he was shot.
And, they said, when Mohn was apprehended at Fort Indiantown Gap, he was in possession of a firearm that was loaded, but was missing one bullet.
In August, Mohn was declared competent to stand trial.
He is scheduled to appear in court again on October 11, 2024, for a formal arraignment.
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