Current:Home > InvestMan accused of beheading father in their home is competent to stand trial, judge rules -Triumph Financial Guides
Man accused of beheading father in their home is competent to stand trial, judge rules
View
Date:2025-04-14 20:18:31
DOYLESTOWN, Pa. (AP) — The man accused of beheading his father in their suburban Philadelphia home early this year and posting a video of the severed head online is competent to stand trial, a judge ruled Thursday.
The decision by Judge Stephen Corr came after a five-hour hearing in which prosecutors and defense lawyers each presented expert witnesses.
The defense expert, Dr. John Markey, said he had met with Justin Mohn, the man charged in the late January slaying, four times for nearly five hours and determined he had a delusional disorder. Markey reviewed letters Mohn had written in which he claimed he was a messiah and a King David-like figure whom the federal government was persecuting.
Mohn came to believe his own public defender was an agent of the federal government and working against him as well, and he wrote a letter to Russia’s ambassador to the United States, seeking to strike a deal to give Mohn refuge and apologizing to President Vladimir Putin for claiming to be the czar of Russia, Markey said.
“It’s all delusional,” Markey said.
A forensic psychologist who testified for the prosecution, though, said Mohn was competent.
Mohn, wearing a yellow prison jumpsuit with his hands cuffed in front of him, sat in the courtroom throughout the testimony, his chin titled up slightly. He reacted, at times animatedly, throughout the hearing.
According to prosecutors, Mohn fatally shot his father with a pistol and then used a kitchen knife and machete to decapitate Michael Mohn at the Levittown house where they both lived.
Justin Mohn then recorded a video in which he held up his father’s head and identified him as a 20-year federal employee, while calling for violence against the government. Prosecutors have said they found blood stains on the desk in the room where the video was recorded along with a computer that had several tabs open, including one for YouTube.
In the video, Justin Mohn also espouses a variety of conspiracy theories and rants about the Biden administration, immigration and the border, fiscal policy, urban crime and the war in Ukraine.
The video was posted on YouTube for several hours before it was taken down.
veryGood! (827)
Related
- Why we love Bear Pond Books, a ski town bookstore with a French bulldog 'Staff Pup'
- Massachusetts State Police must reinstate 7 troopers who refused to be vaccinated, arbitrator says
- 2 Florida officers hospitalized after shooting; suspect killed by police
- Tired of Losing Things All the Time? Get 45% Off Tile Bluetooth Trackers
- Why Sean "Diddy" Combs Is Being Given a Laptop in Jail Amid Witness Intimidation Fears
- 2 killed, 3 hurt when pleasure boat catches fire in bay south of Los Angeles
- Penguins acquire 3-time Norris Trophy-winning defenseman Erik Karlsson in a trade with the Sharks
- Russian warship appears damaged after Ukrainian drone attack on Black Sea port of Novorossiysk
- The 401(k) millionaires club keeps growing. We'll tell you how to join.
- Horoscopes Today, August 6, 2023
Ranking
- The FTC says 'gamified' online job scams by WhatsApp and text on the rise. What to know.
- 8-year-old Chicago girl fatally shot by man upset with kids making noise, witnesses say
- Beyoncé Pays DC Metro $100,000 to Stay Open an Extra Hour Amid Renaissance Tour Weather Delays
- 2 killed, 3 hurt when pleasure boat catches fire in bay south of Los Angeles
- Could your smelly farts help science?
- Montgomery police say 4 active warrants out after brawl at Riverfront Park in Alabama
- Attacks at US medical centers show why health care is one of the nation’s most violent fields
- Livestreamer Kai Cenat charged after giveaway chaos at New York's Union Square Park
Recommendation
Where will Elmo go? HBO moves away from 'Sesame Street'
Fort Lauderdale airport temporarily evacuated over security investigation
Barr says Trump prosecution is legitimate case and doesn't run afoul of the First Amendment
Messi sparkles again on free kick with tying goal, Inter Miami beats FC Dallas in shootout
New data highlights 'achievement gap' for students in the US
Moving to a college dorm? Here's how you can choose a reliable mover and avoid scams
Full transcript of Face the Nation, Aug. 6, 2023
Lucas Glover overcomes yips to win 2023 Wyndham Championship on PGA Tour