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Background: News footage of Denice Mohn (center, in blazer and glasses) leaving court (WFMZ). Inset: Justin Mohn (Bucks County District Attorney).
The murder trial began this week for a Pennsylvania man accused of beheading his father and posting images of his alleged crime on YouTube.
Justin Mohn, 33, is charged with more than a dozen felonies including first- and second-degree murder in connection with the death of his father, 68-year-old Michael Mohn. On the night of Jan. 30, 2024, Justin Mohn allegedly shot his father then beheaded him, later claiming that the elder man had resisted a “citizen”s arrest.” Justin Mohn then posted a 14-minute anti-government rant to YouTube in which he held up his father’s severed, plastic-wrapped head, saying, “Mike Mohn is in hell for being a traitor to his country.”
Michael Mohn was a semi-retired federal employee of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
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Almost a year and a half after the death of Michael Mohn, Justin Mohn’s bench trial began on Monday. His mother, Denice Mohn, whose age was not available, took the stand to describe what happened when she found her husband’s headless body in the first-floor bathroom of the couple’s home. The Associated Press reported that Denice Mohn stated, “I believe I screamed,” adding, “I was screaming out front. I think I dialed 911.”
According to courtroom reporting by the Bucks County Courier Times, Denice Mohn stated that she detected a shift in her son’s personality after he moved back to his parents’ home in Levittown after living in Colorado. She told the court that she and her husband believed that their son might have had an “emotional breakdown” while still in Colorado and would text them “nasty things.”
Justin Mohn also reportedly blamed the federal government for his inability to find employment.
Denice Mohn said, “He was not the same person. I don’t think he was happy with his life. We were worried sick about him. We were just trying to help him.”
Michael and Denice Mohn were both providing support to their son, including paying for clothing, haircuts, his cellphone, and other necessities for a job search — including getting mental health treatment.
During her testimony, Denice Mohn stated that she had no indication that her son held anti-government beliefs until two Bensalem police officers came to her home asking about his social media posts. She described the incident as a “red flag,” and was told by the officers to give her son a warning to stop or else he would be arrested.
Denice Mohn also testified that the family had lunch together on the day Michael Mohn was killed. The day before, Justin Mohn had asked to borrow his father’s car to go to an interview. Denice Mohn told the court, “We were so happy he was going on an interview. We were hoping for a brighter future for him. Happiness.”
Justin Mohn had used the car to drive to a sporting goods store to buy the gun that he allegedly used to kill his father.
