Boyfriend and Mother Charged in Stabbing Death of PennWest Soccer Freshman

An 18-year-old incoming college soccer player was found dead in her vehicle early Thursday, August 20, after allegedly being stabbed by her boyfriend, who was later assisted by his mother in an attempt to cover up the crime. Karoline Heintz, a freshman at Pennsylvania Western University, was discovered in the rear hatch of her Jeep Cherokee near the California Borough Library shortly after midnight.

Pennsylvania State Police allege that Heintz met her boyfriend, 18-year-old Royce Moser, outside his father's home in North Strabane Township on the evening of Wednesday, August 19. According to investigators, the couple was discussing their relationship and how it might continue as Heintz began college when the conversation deteriorated. Trooper Rocco Gagliardi stated that Moser then went inside the residence, retrieved a large kitchen knife, and returned to Heintz's vehicle, where he allegedly stabbed her in the chest.

Police say Moser then placed Heintz's body in the back of the Jeep and drove to his mother's home in Beallsville. There, he allegedly told his mother, Rachel Moser, what had happened. Court documents indicate the pair then attempted to clean blood stains from the...