A Pennsylvania man was charged with murder Saturday in connection with the death and mutilation of his roommate, who went missing on his birthday.
Joshua Moser, 33, is charged with criminal homicide, abuse of a corpse and tampering/fabrication of evidence after the remains of David Hittinger, 37, were discovered on a trail and at a cemetery and quarry , Lehigh County Prosecutor Gavin Holihan announced Friday.
According to Holihan, Hittinger was reported missing on Monday, after not having been heard from since the night of May 11. The person who reported Hittinger missing had planned to meet him for his birthday and became concerned about not hearing from him, Holihan said. .
Hittinger was last seen at Moser’s home, according to Holihan. He had recently moved in with Moser.
Authorities discovered dismembered body parts belonging to Hittinger in trash bags at a local cemetery on Wednesday, Holihan said. Police found more body parts the next day along a trail and in a small quarry nearby, he said.
The medical examiner determined the circumstances of Hittinger’s death to be a homicide, although the autopsy is still pending, Holihan said.
Caydence Waterhouse, Moser’s neighbor, told ABC affiliate WPVI that she heard screaming coming from the house on May 12, a day before Hittinger was reported missing.
“It was Josh. He was like, ‘Get the F out of here, you don’t belong here,'” Waterhouse told the outlet. “But I didn’t hear anyone answer him.”
Authorities conducted a search of Moser’s home Tuesday and collected evidence, including blood and hair, Holihan said. The prosecutor alleged that there was an “attempt to conceal the blood in the basement” of Moser’s home, and a second search of Moser’s home revealed a saw, a box cutter and other clothing with blood on it.
State police said Moser confessed to strangling Hittinger and hitting him in the head with a hammer, according to WPVI.
Holihan did not mention the motive for the alleged killing, but said there “appears to have been some sort of disagreement that would have led to Mr. Hittinger disappearing in this manner.”
Moser was taken into custody the same day on an unrelated charge Holihan did not specify, but he is now being held without bail.
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