Pennsylvania Teenager Stabbed Girl, Later Pleaded Guilty to Child Murder
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A Pennsylvania teenager fatally stabbed his girlfriend, a college soccer player, then enlisted his mother’s help to clean up the crime scene and move the victim’s body, police said Thursday.
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New York PostThe Pennsylvania mom accused of helping her teenage son dispose of his murdered 18-year-old soccer player girlfriend’s body tearfully said she was “sorry” that her son “took a life.”
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Royce Moser, 18, is facing charges including murder, while his mother, Rachel Moser, is facing charges including hindering apprehension of a fugitive, according to Pennsylvania State Police.
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New York PostRoyce Moser was charged with homicide while Rachel Moser is facing charges for allegedly helping cover up the crime, including hindering apprehension, tampering with evidence, obstruction and related offenses.
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Heintz’s body was found in the back hatch of her Jeep Cherokee around 12:30 a.m. Thursday just outside the Pennsylvania Western University campus in California, Pa., where she had been a standout incoming freshman on the women’s soccer team.
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NBC NewsKaroline Heintz, a freshman defender at Division II PennWest California, 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.
ABC NewsJust after midnight on Thursday, State Police were told to check the area for a Jeep Cherokee after Heintz did not return to California University. When officers located the vehicle, they found "noticeable blood splatter inside and outside the vehicle," state police said.
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A former University of Kentucky student-athlete pleaded guilty Friday to first-degree manslaughter in the death of her infant son, whose body was found inside a trash bag in a closet.
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BreitbartFormer University of Kentucky cheerleader Laken Snelling pleading guilty to manslaughter charges for killing her newborn baby boy and stuffing him in a trash bag.
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Snelling, now 22, first pleaded not guilty in April, but on Friday morning in court, she admitted to “ending” her child’s life, the New York Post reported.
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NBC NewsLaken Snelling had initially pleaded not guilty after a grand jury indicted her on several charges, including first-degree manslaughter, abuse of corpse, tampering with physical evidence and concealing the birth of an infant.
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The Kentucky Medical Examiner’s Office determined the baby was born alive and his cause of death to be “asphyxia by undetermined means.”
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BreitbartThe Kentucky Medical Examiner’s Office conducted an autopsy and confirmed the baby was born alive and died of asphyxia by undetermined means, the report states.
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Law enforcement in Lexington responded to the off-campus home Snelling was living in on Aug. 27, 2025 after her college roommates discovered the baby boy dead, wrapped in a towel, shoved in a black plastic bag, and hidden in a closet, according to the report.
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NBC NewsPolice said Snelling hid her dead infant, found wrapped in a towel, inside a black trash bag in a closet.
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In his interview with police, Royce Moser admitted to killing Heintz after he got angry and had a "demon take over" and told him to stab her, according to court records.
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NBC NewsMoser, 18, got angry, went inside the house, grabbed a large kitchen knife and stabbed Heintz to death in the chest, according to police.
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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. The two then “left the Jeep Cherokee near the California Public Library with Karoline Heintz still inside,” police said.
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ABC NewsRachel Moser then allegedly assisted him by attempting to clean the Jeep Cherokee and provided him with latex gloves and told him to follow her to the university, police said.
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Royce Moser also told police how his mother helped him to clean the car and told him to take a bath, then shower after they returned, according to court records. She allegedly put his clothes in the washing machine, he told investigators.
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NBC NewsRachel Moser drove her son back to her home, where he cleaned his clothes and showered, police said.
6 details only one outlet reported
Independent claims that didn't surface elsewhere in our corpus. Treat as supplementary — not corroborated across outlets.
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01 New York Post “I’m sorry,” the mom said as reporters peppered her with questions as she was marched barefoot by a pair of Pennsylvania State Troopers.
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02 NBC News The former member of the university’s STUNT team allegedly told police that she tried to conceal the evidence of giving birth from her roommates, a police citation stated. This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
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03 ABC News They have both been charged with tampering with evidence, abuse of a corpse and obstruction of justice, according to state police and court documents.
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04 Breitbart “I was under a lot of emotional stress and my baby came unexpectedly,” Snelling said in court through tears. “And instead of helping him I ended his life and afterwards I cleaned up and didn’t tell anyone.”
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05 NPR News Audio will be available later today. For StoryCorps, a mother remembers her daughter who was killed in a mass shooting by speaking with her daughter's best friend.
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06 The Daily Wire An investigation is underway into the death of a 10-month-old baby after a Kentucky doctor reportedly left her granddaughter in a hot car for roughly eight hours.
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