SLATINGTON, Pa. - The Slatington man accused of killing and dismembering his roommate was arraigned Friday on multiple charges.
33-year-old Joshua Moser is charged with homicide, abuse of a corpse, and tampering with evidence.
Please bear in mind that some of the information contained in this article may be alarming.
On Monday 37-year-old David Hittinger was reported missing by a friend on a day that should have been special to him. - It had been a couple of days since anyone had heard from Hittinger.
In a press conference Friday streamed live on our Facebook page, What's going on in the Lehigh Valley, Lehigh County District Attorney Gavin Holihan said,"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."
John Moser
"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 District Attorney Holihan.
Court documents allege the killing took place inside the home on West Franklin Street where both men lived.
When police searched there Tuesday, they say they found blood and hair, plus efforts to hide that blood.
Streaming video of the news conference on our Facebook page
When they went back Wednesday, they spotted a saw, a box cutter, and bloody clothing.
According to the affidavit, Moser admitted to police that 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.
Holihan said, "Then there's a trail off of that, like a foot trail. The parts were discarded there."
For days, law enforcement searched the area and raised questions among neighbors.
On Wednesday, Moser was taken into custody in Monroe County for an unrelated matter.
Back in 2017, Moser 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, according to WFMZ.
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 has been denied.
In the news conference Friday, Holihan says Moser will be transported to Lehigh County at some point before his preliminary hearing at the end of the month.