A man brutally murdered his roommate before dismembering him and tossing parts of his lifeless body in three different locations while "hastily" covering up the chilling traces, according to the police.
Joshua Moser, 33, from Slatington in Pennsylvania's Lehigh County, faces charges of criminal homicide, abuse of a corpse and tampering/fabricating evidence.
The Pennsylvania state police were alerted to a missing person report on Monday afternoon for 37-year-old David Hittinger, who had not been in contact since Saturday evening. The alarm was raised when Hittinger didn't appear at a birthday celebration where he was expected.
During a Friday afternoon press conference, Lehigh County District Attorney Gavin Holihan revealed that Hittinger lived in a house in Slatington, where Moser had recently allowed him to move in.
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Joshua Moser has been charged with murder in the disturbing case (Police)Upon executing a search warrant at the property, troopers discovered what seemed to be blood in the basement, which appeared to have been hastily covered up. A saw, box cutter, bloody clothing and other evidence were also found at the scene.
Moser was questioned by state police on Wednesday, during which he allegedly confessed to strangling Hittinger and striking him on the head with a hammer in the basement.
Body parts, some in rubbish bags, were found at a cemetery (nbcphiladelphia)He then reportedly told police that he dismembered Hittinger's body and disposed of the parts in three different locations in Slatington and Washington Township. Some of the body parts were discovered in rubbish bags, according to Holihan.
The Fairview Cemetery in Slatington was the scene of a grim discovery on Wednesday. More body parts were found along the D&L Trail in Slatington and at a small quarry off Welshtown Road in Washington Township on Thursday.
David Hittinger had recently moved in with his alleged murderer (Elizabeth Hittinger)The motive behind this gruesome crime remains unclear. A local resident, Caydence Waterhouse, spoke of a disturbing incident she witnessed. Waterhouse told WPVI: "It was Josh. He was saying, 'Get the f out of here, you don't belong here.' But I didn't hear anyone talking back to him."
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Waterhouse had an encounter with Hittinger just last week when she returned his dog to him. "He was very shy," she noted. "He said, 'Yeah, that's my dog, sorry. He was wondering.'" The Lehigh County coroner has confirmed that the death is being treated as a homicide, but the exact cause of death is yet to be determined.
Some of the body parts were discovered in rubbish bags, authorities said (nbcphiladelphia)Moser was arrested on Wednesday in Monroe County for violating parole, according to Holihan, and will soon be transferred to Lehigh County to face charges related to the homicide. Currently held without bail, Moser has a previous conviction for a fatal DUI crash in February 2016 that resulted in the death of 24-year-old Nicole Gruber.
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