Police arrest 19-year-old Robert Davis for the murder of gay journalist Josh Kruger

Police have arrested 19-year-old Robert Davis for allegedly killing gay Philadelphia journalist Josh Kruger in early October.

According to the Philadephia Inquirer, Davis spent more than two weeks on the run before climbing through a window into his family’s home in South Philadelphia.

Related:

Josh Kruger murder suspect shared drugs & sex with him, sources say

The family of the man, still at large, claims Kruger took advantage of the suspect when he was a minor.

Davis’s mother, Damica Davis, told the publication Robert was mentally breaking down over the potential murder charges he faced. His brother, Jaylin Reason, said he appeared to be drunk or on drugs. Reason decided the best way to assist his brother was to help him turn himself in.

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“I didn’t want him to keep living outside and going around and doing something to put himself in a deeper hole,” Jaylin Reason said.

Police charged Davis with murder, tampering with evidence, illegal gun possession, and other related crimes last Thursday.

Kruger was shot seven times at the base of his stairs early on the morning of October 2 before calling for help and collapsing in the street. He was pronounced dead on arrival at a local hospital.

Police identified Davis as a suspect four days later. Investigators described Davis as a troubled young man who Kruger was trying to help “get through life.”

Davis’s family then spoke out, asserting that he and Kruger had a years-long relationship involving drugs that started when Davis was 15 years old and Kruger was an adult.

According to interviews with Davis’ mother and brother reported by the Philadelphia Inquirer, Davis claimed in a phone conversation that Kruger had threatened to post sexually explicit videos of Davis online.

The family said Davis’ life was slowly unraveling as he tried to keep his drug addiction and relationship with Kruger hidden.

Sources said those claims came as investigators discovered explicit photos and messages on Kruger’s phone, which they described as “disturbing.” Whether or not they were related to Davis was unclear.

While Kruger was transparent in his writing about his own struggles in the past — with HIV, homelessness, sex work, and his addiction to meth — police sources say he was concealing parts of his life, including his relationship with Davis.

Sources added meth was found in Kruger’s bedroom.

Celebrating his sobriety in 2019, Kruger wrote, “I was a daily IV drug user who lived on the street, in bathhouses, in a shelter, and on couches. I saw a lot of trauma and acted out of a lot of pain.”

“People sometimes say I worked hard to get where I am. That’s true and not true,” he wrote. “I took opportunities when they appeared. I listened to others who shared their experience with addiction with me. I recognized my inability to fix myself and the need to accept help. That’s all I did.”

“You need other people just like they need you,” Kruger wrote. “Here’s to another year.”