US man sentenced to life in prison for shooting and beheading father
Bucks County Judge Stephen A. Corr found Justin D. Mohn, 33, guilty in the January 2024 shooting death of his father at their home in the Philadelphia suburb of Levittown.
After the sentencing, Bucks County District Attorney Jennifer Schorn told reporters Mohn had exhibited a "complete and utter lack of remorse," calling it an "unimaginable, unfathomable crime".
"We are satisfied that this was the right outcome to guarantee that the community at large is safe from Justin Mohn," Schorn said.
His defence attorney called it an "undoubtedly difficult case to preside over".
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"Cases involving the loss of life are always the most difficult, and that difficulty is compounded when the prosecution seeks the death penalty. The commonwealth originally sought the death penalty in this case, and based on the defence that was presented on behalf of Mr. Mohn, my client will not face that penalty," said Mohn's lawyer, Steven M. Jones, in an email. He declined to comment on whether Mohn will appeal.
Prosecutors said Mohn shot his father, Michael F. Mohn, 68, with a newly purchased pistol, then decapitated him with a kitchen knife and machete. The 14-minute YouTube video he posted was live for several hours before it was removed.
Mohn testified during the trial that he shot his father while trying to arrest him on what he said were false statements and treason, but his father resisted, so he fired at him. He said he severed his head to send a message to federal workers to meet his demands, which included their resignation among other things.
In victim impact statements read in court Friday, family members and others recalled Michael Mohn as a loving husband and father, a man of humility and humour who enjoyed reading, exercising and playing the guitar.
Flowers rest at the front door of the Mohn residence in Upper Orchard section of Levittown Pennsylvania (file image). (Source: Associated Press)
Justin Mohn was arrested later on the day of the murder after scaling a fence at Fort Indiantown Gap, the state's National Guard headquarters. Prosecutors said he called for others to join him in attempting to overthrow the US government.
Mohn had a USB device containing photos of federal buildings and apparent instructions for making explosives when he was arrested, authorities said.
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He also expressed violent anti-government rhetoric in writings he published online, going back several years. During the trial, the judge heard from Justin Mohn's mother, who said police came to the house he shared with his parents and warned him about his online postings before the killing.
Denice Mohn testified that she and her husband had been offering financial support and guidance as Justin Mohn looked for a job.
"It's unimaginable what the defendant did to his father and to his family," Schorn said. "I know this verdict does provide some level of justice, but it will never heal their wounds."
He was also convicted of possession of an instrument of crime, gun charges, criminal use of a communication facility, terroristic threats, defiant trespassing, and abuse of a corpse.
Prosecutors described the homicide as "something straight out of a horror film." They said Justin Mohn killed his father — who had been an engineer with the geoenvironmental section of the US Army Corps of Engineers' Philadelphia District — to intimidate federal workers, calling it a "cold, calculated, organised plan."
The YouTube video included rants about the government, immigration and the border, fiscal policy, urban crime and the war in Ukraine.
In the video posted on YouTube, Justin Mohn described his father as a 20-year federal employee and called him a traitor.
During a competency hearing last year, a defence expert said Mohn wrote a letter to Russia's ambassador to the United States seeking to strike a deal to give Mohn refuge and apologizing to President Vladimir Putin for claiming to be the czar of Russia. The judge ruled Mohn was competent to stand trial.
Evidence presented at the trial included graphic photos and the video posted to YouTube. The judge warned members of the public at the trial about the images and said they could leave before the photos were shown. The proceedings are known as a bench trial, with only a judge, not a jury.
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