Trump-obsessed conspiracy theorist beheaded his dad on YouTube after making ‘citizens arrest’
A Pennsylvania conspiracy theorist charged with fatally shooting and then beheading his father during — what he calls — a “citizens arrest” told a court on Wednesday that the murder was his “Plan B.”
Justin D Mohn, 33, took the stand on the third day of his trial in a Philadelphia courtroom. He is accused of murdering his father, Michael F Mohn, on January 30, 2024. He allegedly posted footage of the killing on YouTube, where the 14-minute video remained for several hours. He now faces charges of murder, abuse of a corpse and terrorism-related crimes.
According to ABC6 in Philadelphia, Mohn spoke for approximately two hours, providing both direct testimony and being cross-examined.
Mohn, who is not a law enforcement officer, told his defense attorney, Steven Jones, that he shot his father in their family bathroom after telling him he was going to carry out a citizens arrest. His father allegedly said he would kill him before letting that happen, and then reached for a gun, which prompted the fatal reaction.
“Unfortunately, he resisted,” Justin Mohn said. “I was hoping to perform a citizen’s arrest on my father for, ultimately, treason.”
Portions of his notebook were shown during the trial, which included lines like “boom” and “slice” as his “Plan B,” in the event his father refused to allow the citizen’s arrest.
Mohn told the court that his parents were politically on the left, and said he believes his father wanted to stop him from becoming a charismatic politician like President Donald Trump, according to the New York Post. He further claimed that his father gave false statements in an unrelated civil case that landed the younger Mohn in federal court.
He was asked during cross examination why he beheaded his father. He told the court that he did it intimidate federal agents and workers to meet his demands, which included their resignations and the cancellation of public debt, among other demands.
Mohn said he did not have hatred for his father and did not want to cause his family trauma, though his mother’s cries in court showed he did so nonetheless.
“I knew something such as a severed head would not only go viral but could lessen the violence,” he said.
Prosecutors say that, in the video, Mohn can be heard ranting about various right-wing talking points, including immigration, the border, U.S. fiscal policy, urban crime rates, and the war in Ukraine, as well as expressing general anti-government sentiments.
Police arrested Mohn on the same day as the murder. He was allegedly caught trying to jump a fence into Pennsylvania’s National Guard headquarters. Prosecutors argued he had previously called for others to join him in his alleged quest to overthrow the U.S. government.
During the trial, prosecutors presented a USB drive they said belongs to Mohn, and showed that it had photos of federal buildings and bomb-making instructions saved.
Prosecutors described the murder as “something straight out of a horror film,” and said that Mohn’s plan to behead his father was a “cold, calculated, organized” act of intimidation aimed at the federal government. They noted that his father had previously worked for the federal government as part of the Army Corps of Engineers’ Philadelphia District.
