Justin Mohn found guilty in killing, beheading of father in their Bucks County home

DOYLESTOWN, Pa. - A Pennsylvania man has been convicted after testifying in his own defense for the gruesome murder of his father last year, which ended with the 68-year-old man being beheaded and a disturbing video being uploaded to YouTube.

Justin D. Mohn, 33, was sentenced to life in prison without parole following Friday's verdict. 

What we know:

A judge ruled on Thursday that Justin Mohn was guilty of first-degree murder in the killing of his father, Michael F. Mohn, inside their family home in Levittown on January 30, 2024.

The 33-year-old faced a slew of charges, including first-degree murder, abuse of a corpse, possession of an instrument of crime and terrorism. FOX 29's Chris O'Connell reports Mohn was found guilty on a total of 13 of the 16 charges he faced.

Mohn was also convicted of terrorism, marking the first time a defendant has been found guilty of the crime under Pennsylvania's terrorism statute.

Prosecutors said Mohn shot his father with a newly purchased pistol, before decapitating him with a kitchen knife and machete, then posting a 14-minute video to YouTube.

In the video, which stayed up for several hours before being removed, Mohn held his father’s head as he called for violent attacks against members of the federal government.

He was arrested later that day after scaling a fence at Fort Indiantown Gap, the state’s National Guard headquarters.

Dig deeper:

Authorities said Mohn had a USB device containing photos of federal buildings and apparent instructions for making explosives when he was arrested.

In addition to anti-government rhetoric writings published online for several years, Mohn ranted about the government, immigration and the border, fiscal policy, urban crime and the war in Ukraine in the YouTube video posted on the day of his father's murder.

Authorities say that Mohn had also surrendered his medical marijuana card in order to legally purchase the firearm used in the killing. 

What they're saying:

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.

Mohn's attorney Steven M. Jones spoke with reporters outside the courtroom. 

"This is a very difficult case. These facts are horrendous for everybody," Jones began. "The key here, the takeaway is that Justin is still alive, we were able to prevent the death penalty from being imposed. That was not on the table." 

The ruling comes a day after Mohn took the stand for more than two hours of direct testimony and cross-examination, during which he claimed that the killing was his "Plan B."

Mohn said he shot his father in the bathroom after telling him he was going to arrest him.

"Unfortunately, he resisted," Mohn said. "I was hoping to perform a citizen’s arrest on my father for, ultimately, treason."

Asked why he beheaded his father, he said he wanted to send a message to federal government workers to meet his demands, which included their resignation as well as the cancellation of public debt, among other things. He said he didn't do it out of hatred for his father or to cause trauma to his family.

"I knew something such as a severed head would not only go viral but could lessen the violence," Mohn said.

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 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Philadelphia District — to intimidate federal workers, calling it a "cold, calculated, organized plan."

Family's pain:

During sentencing, Micheal Mohn’s wife Denice held a picture of her husband who recently retired full-time as an engineer with the US Army Corps of Engineers. He loved the job so much he went back to work part time.

Mohn was honored with the 2019 Outstanding Achievement Award from the Army Corps of Engineers, an award now named after him. His wife wrote about her husband of nearly 40 years.

"I miss his goofy sense of humor, dinners together, family get-togethers, watching TV in the evenings just the two of us, the love of family and friends we shared, our inside jokes, and our comfortable and content life together. Most of all I miss being his wife and having his arm around my shoulders making me feel safe and unconditionally loved," 

Said Denice Mohn in a statement read in court by prosecutors.

Mohn's two other children gave gut wrenching impact statements about how much they miss their dad who had a love for music, guitars and his family.

"My parents worked hard to instill a strong set of values in their children: work hard, better ourselves, take care of our family, and be the best we could be at whatever we chose to do," his son Zachary said. "They ensured that we never wanted for anything, least of all love and support."

They say despite Justin's troubles over the years his parents tried to help with mental health counseling and financial support.  Mohn chose not to pursue a mental health defense and avoided the death penalty.

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