Teen, his mother charged in connection to PennWest California student’s homicide

By Paula Reed Ward and Haley Moreland
TribLive

An 18-year-old Washington County man accused of killing his girlfriend and stuffing her body in the hatch of her car allegedly told police on Thursday that demons told him to stab the woman, a freshman at PennWest California late Wednesday.

Royce Moser, 18, has been charged with criminal homicide in the death of PennWest California student Karoline Heintz. (Courtesy WTAE)

Investigators also say Royce Moser told them that his mother helped him dispose of the woman’s body and then clean up after the crime.

A criminal complaint filed late Thursday laid out in graphic detail how Karoline Heintz, 18, of McMurray, was killed.
Moser, of North Strabane is charged with criminal homicide, tampering with evidence, abuse of a corpse and obstruction.

His mother, Rachel Moser, was expected to be charged with hindering apprehension, tampering, obstruction and related charges, said Washington County District Attorney Jason Walsh.
California Borough police found Heintz’s body around 12:25 a.m. Thursday inside a parked vehicle near the California Area Public Library, the Washington County Coroner’s Office said.

They were contacted by Heintz’ family. Her father, Jerad Heintz, told police that Karoline had left his home in Peters around 9:30 p.m. Wednesday with possible plans to go to Target before heading back to her dorm room.
He noted that he checked his daughter’s location on his phone and saw that she’d stopped by her boyfriend’s house in North Strabane. After about 30 minutes, the complaint continued, she began traveling on Route 40 toward Scenery Hill.

After failed attempts to reach her, Karoline’s family called police and told them an Apple Airtag in her vehicle showed she was in the parking lot in California.

Officers found her body inside her gray Jeep Cherokee in the back hatch.
“Blood spatter was observed throughout the front driver side area, as well as the exterior driver-side of the vehicle, rear hatch and rear hatch compartment,” the complaint said.

She had been stabbed in the chest, police said, and there was fresh grass on her body and her mouth, police said.
Surveillance footage recovered as part of the investigation showed Moser driving Heintz’s vehicle near where she was discovered, the complaint said.
Police also said that Moser could be seen in the video wearing blue latex gloves while driving the vehicle, and that he was following another vehicle being driven by his mother, who was also wearing gloves.

Both Royce and Rachel Moser were later found at her residence in Beallsville, police said.

During an interview with Rachel Moser on Thursday morning, she told police that her son called her during the early morning hours and said he needed her to follow him to PennWest-California to drop off a vehicle.
“He then admitted to her that he had stabbed the victim with a knife from his house,” the complaint said.

Moser told his mother he put Heintz in the back hatch of the vehicle, and he needed his mother to give him a ride back.
“She further related that Royce told her he had ‘demons’ and that they told him to hurt the victim,” police wrote.
Moser also told his mother he didn’t know if Heintz was “dead or alive.”

When asked about the gloves, Rachel Moser said she had picked up dog feces before she left and still had the gloves on, the complaint said.
However, in his own police interview, Royce Moser said his mother gave him the gloves to help clean up from what happened.

Royce Moser told police that Heintz arrived at his house around 10:15 p.m. Wednesday, and she spoke with him while sitting in her car in the driveway.
“During the conversation, he got angry by something she said to him, but he could not remember what,” the complaint said. “He then had a ‘demon take over’ him and tell him to stab Karoline.”
“He told her ‘wait, I have something for you,’ and went inside of the residence to get a knife,” the complaint said.
He returned to the vehicle and stabbed her in the chest, police said.

Heintz fell out of the car, and Moser dragged her to the back of the vehicle.
He then got in the driver’s seat, police said, and called his mother.

According to the criminal complaint, Rachel Moser told him to go to her house, where she directed him to pull the car in the garage, and “she would help him clean the car with disinfectant spray.”
She also gave her son latex gloves to wear and told him to follow her to PennWest, police wrote.

After dropping off the car, they returned to Rachel Moser’s house where she directed her son to take a bath and then shower, the complaint said. She also told him to change his clothes and then took the knife used to stab Heintz and put it in a garbage bag to be put in the trash outside, police said.

Rachel Moser then put her son’s clothes in the washing machine, police said.
“We knew right away that this was a very serious case, but yet, an isolated one,” Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Rocco Gagliardi said during a press conference Thursday afternoon. “… This was an isolated incident we were investigating.”

Instagram pages under Heintz and Royce Moser’s names feature several photos of the couple, including images from prom and graduation, as well as an Instagram story in which Moser wished Heintz a happy National Girlfriend Day.
Heintz was listed as a freshman soccer player on the women’s soccer roster.

Heintz also played for Victory Soccer Club in Washington. The club posted photos on social media welcoming her to the team in March. In a social media video posted from the team’s first practice, Heintz said she was most excited to make new friends during the soccer season.

On Thursday, the account shared photos of Heintz playing with the caption “Rest Easy Karoline.”
Heintz had been with family earlier Wednesday and was to return to campus housing at PennWest, the coroner said.

Classes begin Monday.

Moser and his mother were in custody, but neither had been arraigned.

In a statement, university spokeswoman Wendy Mackall said the PennWest community is saddened by Heintz’s death. She said the university’s counseling center is offering support.
“We extend our deepest condolences to all who knew and loved her, and we will hold them close in our thoughts during the difficult days ahead,” the university’s statement said.

Sarah Pellis contributed to this story.