Pennsylvania Man Accused of Killing Roommate, Scattering Dismembered Body Across Two Towns

A Pennsylvania man was charged for allegedly killing his roommate, dismembering him and scattering his remains across two towns, authorities said.

On May 17, Lehigh County District Attorney Gavin Holihan announced Joshua Moser, 33, is charged with homicide, abuse of a corpse, and tampering with evidence in the death of 37-year-old David Hittinger.

Pennsylvania State Police opened an investigation on May 13 when they received a missing persons report for Hittinger, who had not been seen or heard from since May 11 at around 7 p.m.

State troopers executed a search warrant at the home where Moser had recently invited Hittinger to live with him, on the 600 block of West Franklin Street in Slatington.

Investigators found blood in the basement, which had been "staged" to conceal the blood, according to the criminal complaint.

Moser was interviewed by detectives on May 15, and allegedly admitted strangling Hittinger and hitting him in the head with a hammer, killing him.

Moser allegedly dismembered Hittinger's body and scattered the remains across Slatington Borough and Washington Township, according to police.

Investigators searching for Hittinger's remains in both towns found pieces of his body concealed in trash bags. A fingerprint from a dismembered hand confirmed the remains belonged to Hittinger, police said.

During a recent press conference, Holihan said investigators also found a saw and bloody clothing in Moser's home. He also revealed that Hittinger's remains were located at the Fairview Cemetery and at an area near the D&L Trail in Slatington, and at a quarry behind Northern Lehigh High School in Washington Township.

Authorities did not reveal a possible motive for the crime, but Holihan said there "appeared to be some sort of disagreement" before the homicide.

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Holihan said that authorities do not believe anyone else was involved in the crime, but do not definitively know whether anyone else lived in the home.

Moser is currently being held without bail at the Monroe County Prison and will be transported to Lehigh County ahead of a preliminary hearing scheduled for May 29.

TMX contributed to this report.