Say What Now? Man Reported Missing on His Birthday Found Dismembered, Roommate Charged

The victim’s body was dismembered and the parts were discovered in multiple locations. The suspect reportedly confessed to the grisly details of the murder.

SLATINGTON, Pa. — The Slatington man accused of killing and dismembering his roommate was arraigned Friday on multiple charges. We’re learning new details about the gruesome case out of Lehigh County, which had police searching for body parts for days.

We’ll warn you: the details are disturbing.

Court documents allege the killing happened inside a home on West Franklin Street where both men lived.

33-year-old Joshua Moser is charged with homicide, abuse of a corpse, and tampering with evidence.

37-year-old David Hittinger was reported missing by a friend Monday, which was a day that should have been special for him.

“It was his birthday, so they had planned to meet up with him for his birthday and he hadn’t, and that was what triggered that concern,” said Lehigh County District Attorney Gavin Holihan.

It had been a couple of days since anyone had heard from Hittinger.

“It was quickly learned through the investigation that Joshua Moser had recently allowed Mr. Hittinger to move into a West Franklin Street home in the borough of Slatington,” said Holihan.

When police searched there Tuesday, they say they found blood and hair, plus efforts to hide that blood.

When they went back Wednesday, they spotted a saw, a box cutter, and bloody clothing.

An affidavit says Moser admitted to police he strangled and struck Hittinger with a hammer.

Moser reportedly told investigators he dismembered Hittinger, then threw away his body parts in multiple locations, including the Fairview Cemetery, a quarry off of Welshtown Road in neighboring Washington Township, and a short distance off of the D&L Trail in Slatington.

“Then there’s a trail off of that, like a foot trail. The parts were discarded there,” said Holihan.

Law enforcement had been searching all of these areas for days, raising questions among neighbors, who were told there was no danger to the public.

We now know that’s because Moser was taken into custody Wednesday in Monroe County on an unrelated matter.

The Lehigh County DA said he couldn’t tell us what that is, though we know Moser is no stranger to law enforcement.

In 2017, he was sentenced to three to ten years in prison after pleading guilty in a DUI crash that killed his passenger, 24-year-old Nicole Gruber.

The DA says at this point in this latest case, it seems Moser acted alone.

“We’ve come a long way in a short period of time, but we still have more investigating to do,” said Holihan.

Moser is currently behind bars in Monroe County. Bail was denied.

Holihan says Moser will be transported to Lehigh County at some point before his preliminary hearing at the end of the month.

via: WFMZ

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