Man accused of beheading his father in Bucks County now faces terrorism charges
Mohn was found with a Sig Sauer 9mm pistol and a USB with several pictures of federal buildings and directions on how to build an explosive device.
Justin Mohn, 32, who is accused of shooting his father, decapitating him, and then posting a graphic YouTube video calling for the killing of federal employees, has been charged with three counts of terrorism and making terroristic threats.
The Bucks County District Attorney’s Office filed a slew of new charges Thursday, including two more counts of possession of an instrument of crime, theft by unlawful taking, receiving stolen property, and defiant trespassing that are related to the alleged theft of a car and forced entry at a National Guard Training Center in Lebanon County.
Documents supporting the charges say Mohn was found there with a USB device containing directions for building explosives, and prosecutors say he aimed to coerce civilians and influence government policy through intimidation.
Mohn, a man whom neighbors, former coworkers, and roommates described as strange and a solitary figure, is accused of having killed his father, Michael F. Mohn, 68, on Jan. 30. He had previously been charged with first-degree murder, abuse of a corpse, and possessing an instrument of a crime.
Prosecutors say the younger Mohn was in a “clear state of mind” in planning and carrying out the crimes he’s accused of, giving up his medical marijuana card so he could legally purchase a gun in Croydon the day before the killing. Mohn, however, lacked the necessary license to carry a concealed firearm or a sportsman’s permit, said Pennsylvania State Police.
An autopsy showed the older Mohn was shot and then beheaded with a kitchen knife and machete in the family bathroom, according to Bucks County District Attorney Jennifer M. Schorn.
The younger Mohn then recorded a 14-minute video posted on YouTube where he presented his father’s head wrapped in plastic and called for the killing of specific federal officials. The older Mohn was a federal employee with the Army Corps of Engineers and authorities would later find his head in a cooking pot.
Justin Mohn also named a U.S. District Court judge as one of his targets and shared their address, according to prosecutors.
In announcing the additional charges, prosecutors said Mohn’s computer showed he had uploaded his video to several platforms, encouraging others “to initiate violent attacks against members of the federal government.”
Mohn then drove off in his father’s white 2009 Toyota Corolla, according to the criminal complaint. Authorities tracked Mohn’s cell phone to the National Guard Training Center in Fort Indiantown Gap, which is secured with armed guards at the gate and barbed wire.
Mohn hoped to mobilize troops at the base against the government, according to prosecutors. Authorities found him carrying a Sig Sauer 9mm pistol and a USB drive.
The USB contained a folder titled “us army improved munitions handbook” that featured several pictures of federal buildings as well as directions on how to build an explosive device, the complaint said.
He is being held at the Bucks County Correctional Facility without bail. The Bucks County Public Defender’s Office, which is representing Mohn, had no comment Thursday.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for April 2.