Lehigh Valley man kills roommate and scatters body parts, police say – NBC10 Philadelphia

Editor’s Note: The details of this story are graphic and may be disturbing to some readers.

A Lehigh County man is accused of killing his roommate with a hammer, dismembering his body and then scattering his remains in three different locations.

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Joshua Moser, 33, was arrested and charged with the murder of David Hittinger, 37, of Slatington, Pennsylvania.

The investigation began at approximately 1:30 p.m. on Monday, May 13, when Pennsylvania State Police received a missing person report at approximately 7 p.m. for Hittinger, who had not been seen or heard from since May 11

Investigators later determined that Moser had recently allowed Hittinger to stay with him at his home on the 600 block of West Franklin Street in Slatington.

State troopers executed a search warrant for the home. During the search on Tuesday, May 14, they found a large amount of blood in the basement, according to the criminal complaint. Investigators said the basement was “hastily staged” to hide the blood.

During a second search on Wednesday, May 15, investigators found a saw, a box cutter and bloody clothing in the home, officials said.

Officials said Moser was arrested Wednesday in Monroe County, Pennsylvania, for an unrelated incident. During an interview with investigators, Moser allegedly admitted to strangling Hittinger in the basement of his home and hitting him in the head with a hammer, killing him. Moser then dismembered Hittinger’s body at home and disposed of his body parts at three locations in Slatington Borough and Washington Township, according to the criminal complaint.

Investigators found dismembered body parts in trash bags at Fairview Cemetery in Slatington, an area off the D&L Trail in Slatington and a small quarry behind Northern Lehigh High School in Washington Township, Lehigh County.

According to the criminal complaint, investigators identified Hittinger as the victim based on a fingerprint found on a severed hand.

Moser was indicted on May 17 and charged with felony murder, abuse of corpse and tampering/tampering with evidence. He is being held without bail in the Monroe County Jail and will be transported to Lehigh County later this month. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for May 29.

Officials did not reveal a possible motive for the killing, but during a news conference Friday afternoon, Lehigh County District Attorney Gavin Holihan said that there “appears to have been a disagreement” before the killing. Holihan also said at this time that the investigation indicates Moser acted alone and there was no danger to the public.

Online court documents do not yet list an attorney for Moser.

If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline by calling 1-800-799-SAFE (7233), visiting www.thehotline.org or texting LOVEIS send to 22522.