SLATINGTON, Pa. — A Lehigh County man will face homicide charges after allegedly murdering and dismembering his roommate in Slatington.
"This is the stuff seen by Stephen King and Wes Craven, not down the street," said a concerned resident who declined to give their name.
For residents of West Franklin Street in Slatington, the idea of a possible killer living just a few houses away was never a thought until now.
Investigators say 33-year-old Joshua Moser is charged with brutally murdering, dismembering, and scattering the remains of his housemate, 37-year-old David Hittinger, in three different locations throughout the Slatington Borough and Washington Township.
"This is not a bad area; this is something that doesn't happen here," said a resident.
Pennsylvania State Police received a call about a missing person on Monday. A search warrant was executed on the home on West Franklin Street. When officials searched the home, they discovered a large quantity of what was determined to be human blood in the basement of the residence.
In a news conference Friday afternoon, The Lehigh County District attorney said Moser was picked up on Wednesday in Monroe County on unrelated charges.
"As a result of that search warrant, blood, hair, and other evidence were found in the basement of that home and what appears to be efforts to conceal that blood in the basement," said Gavin Holihan, D.A. of Lehigh County.
Neighbors say the last time they saw the victim, he was going fishing with Moser on Saturday, then just days later, police could be seen surrounding his home.
"Too close, way too close. It upset my girlfriend pretty much, my granddaughter, and the neighbors," said Mark Sharkazy of Slatington.
Mark Sharkazy lives right next door to where police say the crime took place. He says that he never met the victim but had run-ins with Moser before.
"He did a lot of yelling; every time I'd seen him, he's out yelling about something. Yelling at someone or something went wrong, and he'd just go off on it right away; He needed help, that's what I think," added Sharkazy.
Court records show back in 2017, Moser pleaded guilty to homicide by vehicle while driving under the influence. He was sentenced to serve a minimum of three years on that charge.
Now, Moser is currently locked up in the Monroe County Jail on homicide charges without bail.
Moser will be brought back to Lehigh County to face homicide charges later in May.