Levittown Man Deemed Competent For Court In Father’s Beheading Case

A 32-year-old Middletown Township man charged with beheading his father, making threats, and entering a military base while being sought by authorities has been deemed competent to stand trial.

Bucks County Court of Common Pleas Judge Stephen Corr ruled on Thursday that Justin Mohn can participate in his defense.

During a day-long competency hearing at the Justice Center in Doylestown Borough, Judge Corr determined that Mohn is capable of understanding the charges against him and assisting in his defense.

Mohn is set to face an August 22 preliminary hearing before District Judge Charles Jonas on multiple charges, including first-degree murder, abuse of a corpse, possession of an instrument of crime, terrorism, robbery, firearms violations, theft, receiving stolen property, criminal use of a communication facility, terroristic threats, and defiant trespassing.

Authorities allege that on January 30, Mohn fatally shot his 68-year-old father, Michael Mohn, at the family home in Levittown. Following the shooting, Mohn is accused of decapitating his father using a knife and machete. He then reportedly uploaded a 14-minute video to YouTube displaying the decapitation and ranting against the federal government, which garnered thousands of views before being removed.

Mohn fled Bucks County in his father’s car and was apprehended hours later inside the Fort Indiantown Gap Pennsylvania National Guard training complex near Harrisburg by base and state police.

Public defender Joseph Haag argued that his client was not competent to stand trial.

Dr. John Markey, a private forensic psychologist, testified for the defense.

The doctor testified that while Mohn understands the charges against him, he suffers from a delusional disorder that impairs his ability to participate in his defense.

Markey described Mohn as holding unfounded and delusional beliefs, including viewing himself as “the rightful king of America, possibly the world,” and asserting that he was an accomplished author and musician who could fix America in the eyes of many.

Markey noted that Mohn initially cooperated with Haag and himself but later ceased communication, believing Haag was part of a federal conspiracy against him.

After three meetings with Mohn, which totaled about five hours of time together, Markey said he came to the conclusion Mohn had schizophrenia. However, he changed his diagnosis to a delusional disorder after reading letters and notes Mohn wrote.

The letters, according to testimony, were asking the Russian Embassy and Russian President Vladimir Putin for political asylum and requesting Gov. Josh Shapiro grant him a preemptive pardon.

Markey told the court Mohn believed the things he said, but he would not be able to take an active part in his defense or work with his attorney in a productive manner.

When asked by the judge, Markey said Mohn doesn’t have any “current family support.”

Dr. Kelly Chamberlain, a forensic interviewer for the Lenape Valley Foundation, which works with the county, testified for the prosecution.

Chamberlain stated that she found no evidence that Mohn is incapable of assisting in his defense.

Chamberlain described many of Mohn’s comments as political rhetoric and extremist beliefs but not indicative of schizophrenia or a delusional disorder. She diagnosed him with depressive disorder, cannabis-use disorder, and another personality disorder.

Chamberlain told the court Mohn was “intelligent, calm, and articulate” during their meetings. She added that he had good reasoning skills and had even done some legal research that he told her about, even if he did imply he was the messiah and the “king of America, possibly the world.”

When pressed on the letters Mohn wrote, Chamberlain said his comments had more context when she spent more time with Mohn. She added that he appeared to have self-realization that all of the statements he made might not be true.

Bucks County Correctional Center Officer Ralph Taylor and prison investigator Robert McLeod testified that Mohn caused no serious problems while in custody and was able to accomplish complicated tasks.

Corr said he understood that Markey and Chamberlain came to different conclusions and he felt both were giving their best professional opinions. He noted that the state presumed someone is competent and the defense has to prove otherwise, which can be a challenging task.

At the state of the hearing, Mohn recited the charges against him off the top of his head and noted that the punishment could be life in prison or the death penalty.

New details that came to light during the hearing included that last October Mohn underwent a mental health evaluation at a Bucks County facility and was on a list for counseling before he removed himself. He was believed at the time to have anxiety disorder, depressive disorder, and cannabis-use disorder.

Mohn recently wrote a request to the court to get a new attorney, which Corr approved. Mohn asked for a “Christian attorney” who might be more sympathetic to his beliefs.

Haag, whose religion was not stated in court, agreed to withdraw from the case.

Attorney Steven Jones was in the courtroom and is likely to take over as Mohn’s attorney as a county-funded conflict counsel, Corr said.

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