A beheading video was on YouTube for hours, raising questions about why it wasn’t taken down sooner

By HALELUYA HADERO and ALI SWENSON
Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — A graphic video from a Pennsylvania man accused of beheading his father that circulated for hours on YouTube has put a spotlight yet again on gaps in social media companies’ ability to prevent horrific postings from spreading across the web. Police said Wednesday that they charged 32-year-old Justin Mohn with first-degree murder and abusing a corpse after he beheaded his father in their Bucks County home. A spokesperson for YouTube says the company removed the video, deleted Mohn’s channel and was tracking and removing any re-uploads that might pop up. But the company did not respond to questions about why it wasn’t done sooner.