Man killed roommate and left dismembered body parts in three locations, officials say
.png "David Hittinger was killed and his body was dismembered, police said. His roommate has been arrested.")
A Pennsylvania man killed his roommate, dismembered his body and scattered the remains, police say.
Joshua Douglas Moser, 33, is charged with criminal homicide, abuse of a corpse and tampering with evidence, according to court records.
On May 13, a community member reported David Hittinger missing after not hearing from him since May 11, Lehigh County District Attorney Gavin Holihan said at a May 17 news conference.
Hittinger had recently moved in with Moser, and that was the last place he was seen, Holihan said.
On May 14, authorities searched the home and found blood, hair and other evidence in the basement, Holihan said. He also said authorities found what seemed to be “efforts to conceal the blood.”
The next day, another search was done and law enforcement recovered a saw, a box cutter, more blood and bloody clothing, according to officials. Holihan said Moser was taken into custody in an unrelated matter in Monroe County.
Later that day, three garbage bags with dismembered body parts inside were found at a cemetery in Slatington, Holihan said. The body parts were confirmed to belong to Hittinger.
Officials found two more locations where they say Moser disposed of Hittinger’s body parts. One was off a trail in Slatington and another was at a pond in Washington Township.
Holihan said he could not comment on how officials found the three locations.
A criminal complaint said that when authorities questioned Moser, he admitted killing Hittinger by strangling him and hitting him over the head with a hammer in the basement, according to WCAU.
Officials did not release a motive but said there appeared to be some kind of disagreement prior to the killing.
An attorney for Moser was not listed in court records.
Slatington is a 70-mile drive north of Philadelphia.
This story was originally published May 20, 2024 at 9:36 AM with the headline "Man killed roommate and left dismembered body parts in three locations, officials say."
