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Murdered Gay Philly Journalist and Suspect Had 'Relationship,' Shared Drugs, Family Says

Murdered Gay Philly Journalist and Suspect Had 'Relationship,' Shared Drugs, Family Says

Josh Kruger
Image: instagram @joshkrugerphl

Suspect Robert Davis's relatives also say he told them journalist Josh Kruger had threatened blackmail.

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The family of Robert Davis, accused of killing Philadelphia gay journalist Josh Kruger, is saying the two were in a sexual relationship that began when Davis was 15 and that they used drugs together.

Relatives also say Davis told them that Kruger had threatened to post explicit videos of Davis online, The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

These allegations “add troubling new complexities to a killing that has garnered national attention,” the Inquirer notes.

Kruger, 39, was a well-regarded freelance journalist and former city employee. He was fatally shot October 1 at his home in Philadelphia’s Point Breeze neighborhood. He had seven gunshot wounds when police found him, and he died shortly afterward at a local hospital.

In his writing, he had been open about living with HIV, experiencing homelessness, and being addicted to recreational drugs.

Now Davis’s relatives say he and Kruger often used drugs together. Davis, 19, remains at large; a warrant has been issued for his arrest, and it charges him with murder and other crimes.

His mother, Damica Davis, told the Inquirer Robert called her October 6. “She urged him to turn himself in, she said, but before the call ended, he frantically tried to explain himself, though he stopped short of admitting to the crime,” the paper reports.

“He was scared,” she said. “He said ‘... He wanted me to do some stuff I didn’t want to do, and if I didn’t do it, he said he was going to blackmail me.’”

Damica Davis and Robert’s older brother, Jaylin Reason, told the paper Robert was often angry and was involved in fights at school. They said he started leaving home at night and returning high on drugs when he was about 15. He told them he was involved with an older white woman who had a government job. When they saw the name “Josh” in phone messages, Robert claimed it was the woman’s gay brother. They just learned recently that it was Kruger.

Robert Davis had trouble holding a job, and rehab wasn’t successful for him, his family said. But when he was in the relationship, he often came home with expensive gifts.

Kruger, for his part, said he had gotten sober and turned his life around. But police said they found methamphetamine in his home the night of his death, and sources told the Inquirer police found “disturbing” images on his phone, although it’s not clear if they involve Davis. Police have said Kruger and Davis knew each other and that Kruger was trying to help the younger man.

If Davis is guilty of killing Kruger, nothing justifies it, his mother said. “It’s tragic what happened,” she said. “But I feel like my son is a victim in this as well.”

Pictured: Josh Kruger

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Trudy Ring

Trudy Ring is The Advocate’s senior politics editor and copy chief. She has been a reporter and editor for daily newspapers and LGBTQ+ weeklies/monthlies, trade magazines, and reference books. She is a political junkie who thinks even the wonkiest details are fascinating, and she always loves to see political candidates who are groundbreaking in some way. She enjoys writing about other topics as well, including religion (she’s interested in what people believe and why), literature, theater, and film. Trudy is a proud “old movie weirdo” and loves the Hollywood films of the 1930s and ’40s above all others. Other interests include classic rock music (Bruce Springsteen rules!) and history. Oh, and she was a Jeopardy! contestant back in 1998 and won two games. Not up there with Amy Schneider, but Trudy still takes pride in this achievement.
Trudy Ring is The Advocate’s senior politics editor and copy chief. She has been a reporter and editor for daily newspapers and LGBTQ+ weeklies/monthlies, trade magazines, and reference books. She is a political junkie who thinks even the wonkiest details are fascinating, and she always loves to see political candidates who are groundbreaking in some way. She enjoys writing about other topics as well, including religion (she’s interested in what people believe and why), literature, theater, and film. Trudy is a proud “old movie weirdo” and loves the Hollywood films of the 1930s and ’40s above all others. Other interests include classic rock music (Bruce Springsteen rules!) and history. Oh, and she was a Jeopardy! contestant back in 1998 and won two games. Not up there with Amy Schneider, but Trudy still takes pride in this achievement.