{"id":821325,"date":"2026-08-21T19:54:11","date_gmt":"2026-08-21T19:54:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/821325\/"},"modified":"2026-08-21T19:54:11","modified_gmt":"2026-08-21T19:54:11","slug":"pa-teen-says-demons-made-him-fatally-stab-girlfriend-then-his-mom-helped-hide-her-body-police-say","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/821325\/","title":{"rendered":"Pa. teen says \u2018demons\u2019 made him fatally stab girlfriend, then his mom helped hide her body, police say"},"content":{"rendered":"

A Pennsylvania teenager told police \u201cdemons\u201d prompted him to fatally stab<\/a> his girlfriend, a college soccer player, before his mother helped him clean up the crime scene and move the victim\u2019s body, authorities said Thursday.<\/p>\n

Karoline Heintz, a freshman defender at Division II PennWest California<\/a>, was found dead in the back of a Jeep Cherokee at about 12:24 a.m. Thursday near the California Public Library, roughly 35 miles south of downtown Pittsburgh, officials said.<\/p>\n

Before Heintz was found, law enforcement had begun a welfare check on the freshman after family members reported that \u201cshe never made it to the university,\u201d Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Rocco Gagliardi told reporters.<\/p>\n

Investigators believe that hours earlier Heintz had \u201cmet with her boyfriend, Royce Moser, outside his father\u2019s residence in North Strabane to talk,\u201d according to a statement from Pennsylvania State Police<\/a>. <\/p>\n

\"RoyceRoyce Moser is escorted by police.WPXI<\/p>\n

Moser, 18, got angry, went inside the house, grabbed a large kitchen knife and stabbed Heintz to death in the chest, police said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe believe it (the murder) was originally the result of a domestic situation,\u201d Washington County District Attorney Jason Walsh told reporters.<\/p>\n

The suspect then put her body in the Jeep\u2019s rear hatch and drove to his mother\u2019s residence in Beallsville, police said.<\/p>\n

There, Rachel Moser wiped down the Jeep with cleaning sprays and gave her son latex gloves, instructing him to follow her to the university, according to police.<\/p>\n

The two then \u201cleft the Jeep Cherokee near the California Public Library with Karoline Heintz still inside,\u201d police said.<\/p>\n

Rachel Moser then drove her son back to her home, where he cleaned his clothes and showered, police said.<\/p>\n

The mother later told investigators that her son admitted to attacking Heintz, according to a police affidavit supporting the arrests. <\/p>\n

\u201cShe further related that Royce told her he had \u2018demons\u2019 and they told him to hurt the victim,\u201d the court document states. \u201cHe further related to her that he didn\u2019t know if the victim was \u2018dead or alive.\u2019 \u201d <\/p>\n

The victim was sitting in her car in the driveway when the suspect asked her to wait \u2014 then went inside to get the knife he\u2019d use in the attack moments later, according to the affidavit.<\/p>\n

\u201cDuring the conversation he got angry by something she said to him but he could not remember what,\u201d the affidavit said.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe then had a \u2018demon take over\u2019 him and tell him to stab Karoline. He told her, \u2018Wait, I have something for you,\u2019 and went inside the residence to get a knife. He then came back outside and stabbed her in the chest.\u201d<\/p>\n

Heintz had left her home in nearby Peters Township at about 9:30 p.m., her father told police.<\/p>\n

He later \u201cchecked his daughter\u2019s location on his phone and noticed that she stopped at her boyfriend\u2019s house\u201d where her devices remained for about 30 minutes, the affidavit said.<\/p>\n

Surveillance footage captured the suspect wearing blue latex gloves as he drove Heintz\u2019s car near the library, following another car \u201cwith a female driver also wearing blue gloves,\u201d the affidavit said.<\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes you get these homicides and they go unfounded for years,\u201d Trooper Gagliardi said. \u201cSolving a homicide like that in 12 hours is kind of unheard of.\u201d <\/p>\n

Royce Moser has been charged with homicide, tampering with evidence, abuse of a corpse, conspiracy to commit tampering with evidence, conspiracy to commit abuse of a corpse, and obstruction of justice.<\/p>\n

Rachel Moser, 56, has been charged with hindering the apprehension of a fugitive, tampering with evidence, abuse of a corpse, conspiracy to commit tampering with evidence, conspiracy to commit abuse of a corpse and obstruction of justice.<\/p>\n

It was unclear on Friday morning whether the mother and son had retained or been assigned a defense attorney.<\/p>\n

\u201cPennWest University is heartbroken by the tragic death of Karoline Heintz, a first-year student-athlete at the California campus,\u201d the school said in a statement on Friday.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur deepest condolences are with Karoline\u2019s family, friends, teammates, and all those whose lives she touched. We are focused on supporting members of our university community as they grieve this devastating loss.\u201d<\/p>\n

Both Heintz and Moser posted Instagram pictures of themselves in happier times, 11 weeks ago, going to a high school prom.<\/p>\n

On Moser\u2019s IG, he commented on their prom picture \u201c2x<\/a>\u201d \u2014 and her page from what appears to be the same event, he wrote<\/a>, \u201cbest two nights ever with you.\u201d\t<\/p>\n

Moser graduated from Canon-McMillan High School and Heintz went to Peters Township HS, about 7 miles away. <\/p>\n

The suspect was not enrolled in any school, state police said. Heintz would have been in line to make her collegiate soccer debut a week from Saturday<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe is so much more than what happened to her and we want to honor and focus on who she was as a person \u2014 she was a beautiful soul,\u201d the PennWest California women\u2019s soccer team said in a statement on Friday<\/a>, calling her a \u201chappy, bubbly teammate who was always smiling on and off the field.\u201d<\/p>\n