Alleged killer Justin Mohn went to a National Guard training camp after beheading his father in an attempt to mobilize troops against the federal government, Bucks County's district attorney revealed Friday.
Authorities released new information from the ongoing investigation into Mohn, a Pennsylvania man charged with first-degree murder and abusing a corpse after he held up his father's decapitated head in a YouTube video.
In the 14-minute video, Mohn issued a "call to arms for American patriots" to "kill federal employees," Bucks County District Attorney Jennifer Schorn told reporters. He also claimed to be the commander of a national militia network called "Mohn's Militia," and gave an order for "all militia and patriots across the USA" to arrest members of federal law enforcement, torture them for information and then publicly execute them.
The video has since been removed by YouTube for violating the platform's policies on graphic violence. Police are investigating communications made on the messaging app Discord related to Mohn's calls for violence, according to the district attorney.
Schorn described the calls to violence as "incredibly concerning" and praised Middletown Township Police and other members of law enforcement for quickly working to apprehend the suspect.
On Tuesday at around 7 p.m., police officers were dispatched to a call about a deceased male at a home in the 100 block of Upper Orchard Drive in the Levittown section of Middletown Township, a Philadelphia suburb, authorities said.
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Officers arrived and immediately began a homicide investigation upon discovering the decapitated body of Michael F. Mohn, 68, a federal employee who worked for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Philadelphia District. The call was made by the victim's wife, Denise Mohn, who found her husband dead and reported his 2009 Toyota Corolla and her son, Justin Mohn, missing from the home.
Investigators found a machete and a large knife in the bathtub of the first-floor bathroom next to the deceased. The victim's head was found inside a plastic bag, which was placed inside a cooking pot located in a first-floor bedroom next to the bathroom. Bloody rubber gloves were also found in the first-floor bedroom and more bloody gloves in a trash can next to a desk in that room, police said.
Shortly after the investigation started, police were advised of a YouTube video that showed Justin Mohn holding the severed head of his father, Michael Mohn, the district attorney said. In the video, Mohn picked up the decapitated head of his father and identified him by name as his father. He also appeared to be wearing bloody gloves that matched the bloody gloves found at the crime scene.
Schorn confirmed details from the video, including that Justin Mohn said his father "is in hell for being a traitor to his country."
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"During the video, Justin Mohn provides his identity and advises that he is the commander of America's National Network of Militia, also known as Mohn's Militia. During the video, Justin Mohn advises that he is giving the following order for all militia and patriots across the USA: To kill federal employees," Schorn said.
"He also ordered that individuals from the FBI, IRS and other federal law enforcement officers and for those that work at the courthouse to be arrested. That all federal agents, U.S. marshals, federal judges and Border Patrol be captured and tortured for information and then publicly executed," she continued.
Shorn said Mohn divulged the home address of a federal judge and "put a bounty on his head and heads of ranking federal officials." He urged violence against all federal employees but exempted state government, state governors and state employees, according to the district attorney.
Investigators used Mohn's phone to track his location and determined he was at Fort Indiantown Gap, a National Guard training center in Lebanon County, Pennsylvania. The suspect drove his father's white Toyota Carolla to the location and climbed a barbed wire fence to infiltrate the secured military installation.
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"He went to Fort Indiantown Gap in an effort to mobilize the National Guard to raise arms against the federal government," Schorn said. "He also indicated that he wanted to speak to Governor [Josh] Shapiro to join forces."
Officers with the Fort Indiantown Gap Police Department and the Pennsylvania State Police found a man trespassing on government property and took Mohn into custody without incident, the district attorney said.
Police found a loaded Sig Sauer 9mm handgun in Mohn's possession with one bullet missing,
An autopsy performed on the victim showed Michael Mohn suffered a gunshot wound to his head and then was subsequently dismembered with the knife and machete found at the crime scene, the district attorney said.
Investigators determined Mohn bought a handgun at Johnson's in Croydon, Bristol Township, Bucks County, Jan. 29, a day before he allegedly murdered his father. The gun was legally purchased. Schorn said Mohn surrendered his medical marijuana card to be able to legally possess a gun, indicating a "clear state of mind" as he allegedly planned and carried out the murder of his father.
Mohn, a graduate of Penn State, is unemployed and has no history of diagnosed mental health issues, Schorn said. He previously worked and lived in Colorado working for a contractor for Microsoft Corp.
Middletown Township Police Chief Joe Bartorilla said his department has identified three prior interactions with Mohn. In 2011, Mohn, then 19, had an argument in his home driveway with another person, but no criminal complaint was filed. Then, in 2019, Mohn reported that he received a threat from someone at Progressive Insurance in Ohio because he was suing them "and wanted a record of it," Bartorilla said.
The final indirect interaction occurred last year, when a Philadelphia employer contacted police about Mohn's behavior at work and requested legal advice about terminating his employment, the chief said.
The district attorney told reporters an investigation is ongoing and will continue "for months" before Mohn is prosecuted for the gruesome killing.
