Pennsylvania man accused of killing roommate, dismembering body and scattering remains

David Chang, NBC Philadelphia
·2 min read
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A Lehigh County man is accused of killing his roommate with a hammer, dismembering his body and then scattering his remains in three separate locations.

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

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

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

State troopers executed a search warrant at the home. During the search, they found a large amount of blood in the basement, according to the criminal complaint. Investigators said the basement had been “hastily staged” to conceal the blood.

Investigators then interviewed Moser on May 15. During the interview, Moser allegedly admitted to strangling Hittinger and striking him over the head with a hammer in the basement of his home, killing him. Moser then dismembered Hittinger’s body at the home and discarded his body parts in three locations in Slatington Borough and Washington Township, according to the criminal complaint.

Investigators searched the locations and found dismembered body parts in trash bags, officials said. Investigators identified Hittinger as the victim through a fingerprint on a dismembered hand, according to the criminal complaint.

Moser was then arrested and charged with criminal homicide, abuse of corpse and tampering with/fabricating physical evidence.

While the criminal complaint did not reveal the specific locations where the body parts were found, the Lehigh County Coroner and police were spotted on Thursday along the D&L Trail in Slatington as well as an old quarry about a mile away right behind Northern Lehigh High School.

Lehigh County District Attorney Gavin Holihan will reveal more details on Hittinger’s murder during a press conference on Friday at noon at the Lehigh County Courthouse in Allentown.

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 to 22522.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com