Pennsylvania man charged with beheading father says he was trying to perform a citizen's arrest

DOYLESTOWN, Pa. (AP) — The Pennsylvania antheral charged with fatally shooting past beheading his begetter and posting it connected YouTube said connected the basal Wednesday that the sidesplitting was “Plan B” aft trying to apprehension his begetter for what helium called mendacious statements and treason.

Justin D. Mohn, 33, took the basal successful a suburban Philadelphia courtroom connected the 3rd time of his proceedings connected execution and different charges stemming from the Jan. 30, 2024, homicide of his father, Michael F. Mohn.

Mohn, dressed successful a bluish athletics coat, garment and tie, with his arms shackled to his waist, spoke intelligibly without immoderate evident emotion for much than 2 hours of nonstop grounds and transverse examination.

Responding to questions from his attorney, Steven Jones, Mohn said helium changeable his begetter successful the bath of the family's Levittown location aft telling him helium was going to apprehension him. Mohn said his father, who helium said was an experienced martial artist, told him helium would termination him earlier helium fto that hap and reached for the gun.

“Unfortunately, helium resisted,” Justin Mohn said, adding: “I was hoping to execute a citizen’s apprehension connected my begetter for, ultimately, treason."

He described a database from his notebook, shown during the trial, that had the lines “Boom” and “Slice” arsenic his “Plan B,” and said helium expected his begetter to spell on with the citizen's arrest.

He said helium differed politically from his parents, describing them arsenic connected the left. He told the tribunal helium believed his begetter wanted to halt him from becoming a person akin to President Donald Trump and that his begetter gave mendacious statements successful an unrelated civilian lawsuit Justin Mohn brought successful national court.

Asked wherefore helium beheaded his father, helium said helium wanted to nonstop a connection to national authorities workers to conscionable his demands, which included their resignation arsenic good arsenic the cancellation of nationalist debt, among different things. He said helium didn't bash it retired of hatred for his begetter oregon to origin trauma to his family. His mother, Denice Mohn, cried successful tribunal astatine the extremity of the nonstop questioning from his attorney.

“I knew thing specified arsenic a severed caput would not lone spell viral but could lessen the violence,” Justin Mohn said.

Prosecutors said Mohn changeable his begetter with a recently purchased pistol, past decapitated him with a room weapon and machete. The 14-minute YouTube video helium posted was unrecorded for respective hours earlier it was removed.

Mohn was arrested aboriginal that time aft scaling a obstruction astatine Fort Indiantown Gap, the state’s National Guard headquarters. He said successful tribunal helium knew it was incorrect to leap the obstruction astatine the site. Prosecutors said helium called for others to articulation him successful attempting to overthrow the U.S. government.

Mohn had a USB instrumentality containing photos of national buildings and evident instructions for making explosives erstwhile helium was arrested, authorities said.

He besides expressed convulsive anti-government rhetoric successful writings helium published online, going backmost respective years. Earlier successful the trial, the justice heard from Justin Mohn’s mother, who said constabulary came to the location helium shared with his parents and warned him astir his online postings earlier the killing.

Denice Mohn testified that she and her hubby had been offering fiscal enactment and guidance arsenic Justin Mohn looked for a job.

Prosecutors described the homicide arsenic “something consecutive retired of a fearfulness film.” They said Justin Mohn killed his begetter — who had been an technologist with the geoenvironmental conception of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Philadelphia District — to intimidate national workers, calling it a “cold, calculated, organized plan.”

The YouTube video included rants astir the government, migration and the border, fiscal policy, municipality transgression and the warfare successful Ukraine.

In court, Michael Mohn was remembered arsenic a bully neighbour and supportive father. In the video posted connected YouTube, Justin Mohn described his begetter arsenic a 20-year national worker and called him a traitor.

During a competency proceeding past year, a defence adept said Mohn wrote a missive to Russia’s ambassador to the United States seeking to onslaught a woody to springiness Mohn refuge and apologizing to President Vladimir Putin for claiming to beryllium the czar of Russia. The justice ruled Mohn was competent to basal trial.

Evidence presented astatine the proceedings included graphic photos and the video posted to YouTube. The justice warned members of the nationalist astatine the proceedings astir the images and said they could permission earlier the photos were shown. The proceedings are known arsenic a seat trial, with lone a judge, not a jury.