Bucks County man charged with murder after allegedly beheading father, posting video on YouTube

Mohn referred to himself as a militia leader, called his father a traitor to the country for being a federal employee for 20 years

Wednesday, January 31, 2024
Bucks County man charged with murder after allegedly beheading father, posting video on YouTube
Bucks County man charged with murder after allegedly beheading father, posting video on YouTube

MIDDLETOWN TWP., Pennsylvania (WPVI) -- GET LATEST UPDATES HERE: Neighbors say man accused of beheading father was acting 'strange'

A Pennsylvania man has been charged after his father was found beheaded inside their family home Tuesday night in Middletown Township, Bucks County.

The victim's son, identified as 32-year-old Justin Mohn, has been charged with first-degree murder and abuse of a corpse, among other charges, according to police.

Justin Mohn has been charged with first-degree murder and abuse of a corpse, among other charges, according to police.

Mohn is accused of not only beheading his father, identified as 68-year-old Michael F. Mohn, but also posting a disturbing video to YouTube.

Officers responded to the 100 block of Upper Orchard Drive around 7 p.m. for reports of a decapitated body after the victim's wife came home to discover him beheaded and covered in blood.

When officers arrived, they found the victim's body in the first-floor bathroom and his head inside a plastic bag in a kitchen pot placed in a first-floor bedroom, according to a police affidavit.

Officers said they also found bloody rubber gloves in a bedroom on the second floor, as well as a machete and a large kitchen knife in the bathtub.

"As far as the crime itself, it's not something we typically see here," said Middletown Township Police Captain Pete Feeney.

The wife then told police her husband's white Toyota Corolla and her son were both missing.

Police said the more than 14-minute long YouTube video, titled "Mohn's Militia - Call to Arms for American Patriots," showed Justin Mohn picking up his father's decapitated head and identifying him by name. Police said it appeared Mohn was reading from a script as he railed about the government.

Mohn referred to himself as a militia leader and called his father a traitor to the country for being a federal employee for 20 years.

He also spoke about President Joe Biden and threatened multiple federal agencies in the gruesome YouTube video while reading from a script.

"There's plenty of evidence to process, I'm sure they'll be reviewing that video," Feeney said.

ALSO SEE: Why was a revolting YouTube video of a decapitated head left online for hours?

The video was viewed at least 5,000 times before being taken down.

Police said they were able to track Mohn by pinging his cell phone to Fort Indiantown Gap in Lebanon County, about 100 miles from the crime scene. Local police put the area on lockdown.

As officers continued to look, his cell phone was pinged a second time, near the western border of the facility. Once officers arrived at that location, they found the Toyota Corolla abandoned.

Officers soon found Mohn inside the fort installation. He climbed up and over the fence, according to Pennsylvania National Guard Communications Director Angela Watson, and he was found with a firearm in his possession.

He was arrested without incident at about 9:30 p.m. Tuesday. It is unclear why he was in that area.

A website for the base referred to it as "America's busiest National Guard Training Center."

"I think the neighborhood can rest easy because I think they were a little uneasy for a while before they knew where the person of interest was," Middletown Township Police Chief Joseph Bartorilla said.

Bartorilla said the son lived inside the home on Upper Orchard Drive in Levittown.

"I am sad for the family, I am very sad for the community and also for the people that knew him," he added.

"That was upsetting, so very very upsetting in our neighborhood. In any neighborhood," said Ellen Stupak, from Middletown Township.

Mohn, who also was arrested on a weapons possession charge, was arraigned early Wednesday and held without bail. He is scheduled for a hearing on Feb. 8.

"Our officers from our department drove up to Fort Indiantown Gap and took custody of him, bringing him back to Bucks County for arraignment. He was brought back here and arraigned at 4 a.m. by Judge Guyer," Bartorilla.

While police searched for Mohn, residents say they felt concerned for their safety.

"Someone that radical who has a gun? Yeah, I was concerned," Stupak said.

"The fact that they said he was on the loose, we made sure our doors were locked because we live alone. We are two old people who live alone, so we didn't know what was going on," added neighbor Maureen Schoettle.

A spokesperson for the Bucks County district attorney's office said they did not expect to comment publicly about the case Wednesday.

An attorney for Mohn wasn't listed in court records Wednesday morning and a message seeking comment on his behalf was left at a phone listing for him. The court clerk's office said it had no record of a lawyer representing him.

A motive for the killing is still under investigation.

The Associated Press contributed to this post.