After a five-hour continuing final week, a Pennsylvania decide has dominated that Justin Mohn is competent to face trial within the beheading loss of life of his father and subsequent posting of a video “manifesto” along with his severed head.
After having beforehand been decided to have schizophrenia by Dr. John Markey, who hung out with Mohn on 4 totally different events, the physician modified his analysis to delusional dysfunction, based mostly on new findings. However none of that saved Mohn from being declared competent to face trial.
On Thursday in Doylestown, Mohn was declared mentally match to face trial for the alleged homicide and beheading of his father, adopted by a video “manifesto” posted to YouTube that appeared to incorporate his father’s severed head.
Choose Stephen Corr made his ruling after a five-hour course of that concerned a number of witnesses. In the course of the continuing, he additionally granted Mohn’s want to dismiss his public defender and have a unique lawyer appointed to deal with his case.
As reported by CNN, Mohn may very well be seen nodding and smiling as prosecution witness Dr. Kelly Chamberlain described him as clever, calm and socially acceptable. She mentioned that it was Mohn who objected to his protection lawyer’s try to make use of psychological well being as a protection, arguing he was appropriately “self-interested.”
Markey continued to counter the prosecution’s case that Mohn was of sound thoughts by saying with the defendant “it is all delusional.” He cited a number of letters, wherein Mohn reportedly claimed to be the messiah, a King David-like determine persecuted by the federal authorities.
In response to Markey, Mohn believed his personal attoreny was a federal agent working towards him. He additional claimed that Mohn had written a letter to Russia’s ambassador to the U.S. searching for to strike a deal for refuge in Russia, whereas additionally apologizing to President Vladimir Putin for claiming to be the czar of Russia.
YouTube/Bucks County DA
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Chamberlain pushed again on this narrative, arguing that she does not imagine Mohn meant to say he was the messiah, however reasonably that he believed “Satanic” cults within the U.S. assume he is the messiah.
“I imagine it may very well be construed as delusional,” she conceded, however mentioned that his letters have been a part of a recurring and customary rhetoric. “He feels folks like him have been type of screwed over.” As she spoke, Mohn nodded, per CNN.
Mohn was first arrested in late January for the homicide of his father. On February 2, the DA in Bucks County, PA launched disturbing particulars in regards to the crime.
In a press convention, DA Jennifer Schorn revealed that police have been dispatched to Michael Mohn’s Middletown Township after his spouse Denise got here house to search out her husband decapitated inside the lavatory.
When police arrived, they discovered the decapitated physique, earlier than finding Michael’s head wrapped in saran wrap and in a cooking pot in an adjoining room.
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Schorn revealed police obtained a number of cellphone calls a few YouTube video Justin posted wherein he was seen holding up his father’s head. The 14:32-long video was titled “Mohn’s Militia,” with Schorn describing it as a “name to arms for American patriots.”
She mentioned it gave the impression to be filmed in the identical bed room the place bloody gloves have been discovered — and confirmed Justin “holding a human head indifferent from the physique which is wrapped in plastic,” saying it belonged to his father, who was “in hell for being a traitor to his nation.”
Within the video, he went on to name himself “the commander of America’s nationwide community of militia” and suggested his followers to torture and kill federal workers.
In response to Schorn, Justin was apprehended after authorities pinged his cellular phone — and positioned him at a Nationwide Guard coaching middle at Fort Indiantown Hole. He had allegedly “climbed a barbed wire fence, and entered the secured navy set up,” however was taken in with out incident.
The sufferer died from a gunshot wound to the top and was dismembered with each a knife and machete after his loss of life. In response to Schorn, the suspect bought the gun used within the crime the day earlier than — and did so legally.
“There was nothing legally precluding him from shopping for that gun. In actual fact, our investigation has revealed he surrendered his medical marijuana card in order to be eligible to legally possess a gun,” she claimed. “Additionally exhibits you the clear frame of mind that he was in having deliberate what he finally carried out.”
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She mentioned he had no historical past of recognized psychological well being points and had by no means been dedicated, both voluntarily or involuntarily.
She went on to name it “fairly horrifying” how many individuals seen the YouTube video earlier than it was taken down — calling it “extremely regarding” as nicely. She added that they have been capable of seize the footage, nevertheless, which was vital to have from an evidentiary standpoint.
Middletown Township Police Chief Joseph Bartorilla mentioned his division, particularly, had three prior cases involving Mohn — beginning with one in 2011, when the suspect was 19 and had an argument with somebody in his driveway. That did not rise to something prison, mentioned Bartorilla.
The second occasion was in 2019, when Mohn known as police saying he obtained a risk from somebody he was suing … whereas the third got here in 2023, when his employer in Philadelphia known as police to precise “concern about Justin’s habits at work and wished authorized recommendation on the right way to go about terminating his employment.”
Bartorilla mentioned the officer referred the caller to hunt out authorized sources for his or her issues, in addition to to the Philadelphia Police Division .
“I feel there was concern over what Justin was writing, some novels he was writing, however we didn’t have contact with him after that,” he added. “I do not assume we wanted to have contact with him after that.”
Mohn has been charged with first-degree homicide, abusing a corpse and possession of devices of crime. He’s being held with out bail.