A US Man in His 30s, Lost in Far-Right Conspiracy Theories, Kills Civil Servant Father... Investigation into Motive Underway

"Over 20 Years of Service, Civil Servant Father Called 'Jo Guk Traitor'"
Filial Patricide Revealed via YouTube

A man in his 30s from the United States, who appears to be deeply immersed in the far-right conspiracy group QAnon, which regards former President Trump as the savior who will save America, killed his father, a public official. On the 31st (local time), local media including The New York Times (NYT) reported that the Middletown Township Police Department in Pennsylvania arrested 33-year-old Justin Munn the previous night.

Munn is accused of killing his father at their home near Philadelphia. Additionally, Munn posted a video on YouTube in which he labeled his father, who worked for the federal government for over 20 years, as a "traitor to the homeland," and stated that he had killed his father. Notably, he also showed parts of his father's severed body in the video. The problematic video has since been deleted, and Munn's channel has been closed.

Justin Munn. [Photo by AP News]

He expressed hostility toward the Biden administration, immigrants, LGBTQ individuals, and people of color, and even called for public executions of FBI agents, IRS officials, and federal judges. Police, responding to a report from his mother, tracked Munn down and arrested him about 180 km away from his home.

The reason why Munn killed his father has not yet been confirmed. However, local media are paying attention to the connection between Munn and QAnon. This is because the statement Munn read in the YouTube video reflects QAnon's conspiracy theories exactly.

Originally, QAnon began as a conspiracy theory from an anonymous internet user "Q," claiming that the "Deep State," a coalition of top Democratic Party officials and entrenched government interests, controls the government. Because it concludes that Trump ran for president to save America from the devil-worshipping Deep State, it also has a quasi-religious character.

Although it was widely expected that QAnon would disappear after former President Trump’s defeat in the 2020 presidential election, it is still known to exert considerable influence in American society.