Slatington man charged with killing housemate; allegedly dismembered him and discarded body parts [Updated] (2024)

A Slatington man is accused of killing his housemate, dismembering him and discarding his remains at multiple locations in the borough and Washington Township, Lehigh County.

On Friday, Pennsylvania State Police filed charges against Joshua Moser, alleging he killed 37-year-old David Hittinger. Moser, 33, faces charges of homicide, abuse of a corpse and tampering with evidence.

Troopers began investigating Monday after receiving a report that Hittinger had not been heard from or seen since Saturday. He lived in the 600 block of West Franklin Street, according to authorities.

Lehigh County District Attorney Gavin Holihan said in a news conference Friday that a friend of Hittinger was supposed to meet him for his birthday, but he never showed up. The friend reported his disappearance to authorities. The DA credited the friend and their concern for getting the investigation started.

“I think that’s what moved this along so rapidly,” Holihan said.

Investigators found that Moser had recently let Hittinger move into the home, charging documents state. Police got a search warrant, went to the home Tuesday and found what was determined to be human blood in the basement, where Hittinger had been staying, according to officials.

The basement was “hastily staged,” to conceal the blood, police said. Blood, hair and skin were found in the basement in a bathtub, according to the DA’s office.

Holihan said police found a saw, a box cutter and bloody clothing in the home.

Moser spoke to authorities on Wednesday night. He admitted that he choked Hittinger, then hit him with a hammer, killing him in the basement, according to charging documents. The DA said it appears there was some sort of disagreement before the killing, but he did know what that was. Moser also said he dismembered the body and discarded it in three locations in Slatington and Washington Township, according to authorities.

The locations were searched, and police found dismembered body parts in trash bags, police said. A fingerprint was used to identify the remains as Hittinger’s, authorities said.

Investigators first found remains Wednesday at Fairview Cemetery in Slatington, the DA said. More were found Thursday near the D&L Trail in Slatington and at a small quarry off Welshtown Road in Washington Township, according to authorities.

Moser was arraigned on the charges Friday morning. Holihan said Moser was taken into custody in Monroe County earlier in the week on an unrelated parole violation. Holihan declined to specify what that violation was.

Moser currently is in Monroe County Prison without bail and will be extradited to Lehigh County.

The homicide remains under investigation by Pennsylvania State Police and the Lehigh County District Attorney’s Office.

“The fact is, this investigation has taken a rapid turn and a rapid resolution, in our minds,” Holihan said.

Holihan said a number of officials participated in the investigation, including a drone team, marine unit, K-9 unit, Carbon County DA’s office and Monroe County DA’s office. He said he expects the investigation to continue for some time.

He said authorities do not believe anyone else was involved in the crime, but did not know if anyone else lived in the home. The DA said there is no ongoing threat to the community.

Lehigh County Coroner Daniel A. Buglio said in a news release Thursday that Hittinger was pronounced dead Wednesday night. An autopsy was conducted Friday, but Buglio said the cause of death would not be released because the investigation is still active.

Moser previously pleaded guilty to homicide by vehicle in a February 2016 DUI crash that killed a 24-year-old woman in Washington Township. He was driving drunk when he crashed his vehicle on Rextown Road near Mountain Road. His back seat passenger, Nicole Gruber, was thrown from the vehicle. She died from her injuries about two hours later at a hospital.

Moser, Gruber and another man were at a bar before the crash. Moser had a blood-alcohol content of .15 percent, according to officials. The other man was a passenger in the car and suffered serious injuries.

Moser was sentenced to three to 10 years in prison.

The passenger, who was injured in the crash, said in a brief phone interview Friday morning that he was stunned to learn about the homicide charges.

“I’m in shock right now, that’s crazy,” he said.

The man said he hadn’t seen Moser since testifying against him and that he didn’t know him especially well before that. The night of the deadly crash was the first time they had seen each other since attending Lehigh Carbon Technical Institute during high school.

“From what I knew of him in high school, he was never aggressive or anything,” he said.

According to testimony in the crash case, Moser had long history of alcoholism and mental health problems and experienced a chaotic childhood. Moser admitted that he drank almost continuously in the month before the crash, including before breakfast, and experienced frequent blackouts.

“A lifestyle of alcohol abuse and visiting barrooms led to a loss of life,” Moser told Gruber’s parents as he apologized to them at the sentencing.

Staff writer Daniel Patrick Sheehan contributed to this report.

Slatington man dead in homicide; ‘active’ investigation continues, authorities say