A Slatington man has been charged in the homicide after admitted he killed a man in the basement of his residence and later dismembered his body.

According to the affidavit of probable cause filed by Trooper John Snyder and Trooper Taylor Dietrich of the Pennsylvania State Police, Troop M, Bethlehem barracks in the case against Joshua Moser:

At around 1:30 p.m. Monday, PSP-Bethlehem was alerted to a person missing under suspicious circumstances. It was reported that the victim, David Hittinger, 37, had not been heard from since around 7 p.m. Saturday.

Hittinger was seen at the residence located at 699 S. Franklin St. in Slatington.

During the course of the investigation, troopers learned that Moser, 33, had recently allowed Hittinger to move into 699 W. Franklin St.

Following the execution of a search warrant at 699 W. Franklin St., troopers observed a large quantity blood in the basement of the residence where Hittinger was staying. It appeared to troopers that the basement had been hastily staged to conceal the blood.

At around 5:18 p.m. Wednesday, Moser was interviewed at the Pennsylvania State Police, Stroudsburg barracks and said he strangled and struck Hittinger in the head with a hammer, killing him in the basement of his residence at 699 W. Franklin St.

Moser said he dismembered Hittinger’s body at the residence and discarded the body parts in three specific locations in Slatington Borough and Washington Township.

Based upon the information provided by Moser, the three locations were searched and dismembered body parts were discovered in trash bags, as Moser described.

A fingerprint was developed from a recovered dismembered hand, and was analyzed by the Pennsylvania State Police, Bethlehem Regional Laboratory and identified as belonging to Hittinger.

Moser faces charges of criminal homicide, abuse of corpse, and tamper with/fabricate physical evidence.

Moser is currently incarcerated in the Lehigh County Jail. Bail has been denied.

Moser is scheduled to have a preliminary hearing May 29 before District Judge Michael J. Faulkner.

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