Who is Royce Moser? 5 things on boyfriend accused of killing varsity soccer star Karoline Heintz; mom ‘helped’ dump body

By Sohail Khan 21 August 2026, 2:43 pm

Who is Royce Moser? 5 things on boyfriend accused of killing varsity soccer star Karoline Heintz; mom 'helped' dump body

Royce Moser has been accused of fatally stabbing 18-year-old PennWest California soccer star Karoline Heintz, with his mom allegedly helping him dump the body.

Published on: Aug 21, 2026, 14:43:44 IST

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Royce Moser has been accused of fatally stabbing Karoline Heintz, the 18-year-old PennWest California soccer star. He allegedly took his mother's help later to dump the body.

While Moser and Heintz were in a relationship, he didn't attend the same university, as per reports. Moser's mother Rachel Moser has been charged with hindering the apprehension of a fugitive, tampering with evidence, along with related charges.

Heintz was found dead in her Jeep Cherokee near the California Public Library around 12:30am on Thursday, as per reports. Here's what happened between Heintz and Moser.

Karoline Heintz murder: What happened

Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Rocco Gagliardi shared that Heintz and Moser got together on Wednesday outside his father's house in North Strabane Township. They were to talk about the future of their relationship.

The trooper said the conversation “probably goes a little bit south,” as per reports. Moser is then believed to have gone into the home, grabbed a large knife from the kitchen and stabbed Heintz in the chest area.

When she fell out of the vehicle, Moser picked her up and placed her on the car's hatch. Then, he drove the car to his mother's house in the Washington County borough of Beallsville.

“They try to clean clothes, they try to clean the car up, they try to get rid of any bloodstains,” the cop added. Moser then allegedly drove the Jeep while his mother followed in a different vehicle, headed to the parking lot in California Borough before leaving the car there. They then allegedly drove back together to Rachel Moser's home.

As per reports, Moser's mother told her son to 'take a bath', then ‘shower’ and change clothes. She also allegedly put the knife in a garbage bag and washed his clothes. Further, reports indicated that Moser's mother tried to clean the Jeep with disinfectant spray and also gave Moser latex gloves for driving around.

When being taken away by cops, Rachel Moser reportedly covered her face with her hands and said “I'm sorry,” telling a local reporter that she was sorry her son ‘took a life’. Meanwhile, here's all you need to know about Royce Moser.

Who is Royce Moser? 5 things to know

Royce Moser is 18 years old. He told investigators that he got angry after Heintz told him something during their conversation in the Jeep, but couldn't exactly remember what it was.
Moser allegedly told Heintz he had something for her which allowed him to head inside and grab the knife.
Moser has now been charged with homicide, tampering with evidence, abuse of a corpse, conspiracy to commit tampering of evidence, conspiracy to commit abuse of a corpse and obstruction of justice.
Moser was slated to be arraigned late Thursday before being taken to the Washington County jail.
Moser told investigators that a ‘demon’ took over him. He allegedly said that the demon had told him to stab Heintz.

Rachel Moser also told the cops that her son told her he had ‘demons’ telling him to hurt his girlfriend, CBS News report.

Royce Moser's Instagram in focus

The accusations against Royce Moser about Karoline Heintz has put his Instagram account in focus. Moser notes he's an ‘athlete’ and has ‘Isaiah 41:10’ in his bio. The passage from the Bible reads “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”