Robert Davis, accused killer of Josh Kruger, arrested and will be charged with murder

Robert Davis, 19, who is accused of killing journalist and activist Josh Kruger, was arrested at his South Philadelphia home Wednesday night and is expected to be charged with murder, police said.

Damica Davis said she and her son arranged for police to pick up him shortly after 8:40 p.m., after he had spent more than two weeks on the run. Deputy Police Commissioner Frank Vanore confirmed that Davis was in custody.

The District Attorney’s Office said Thursday that Davis would be charged with murder, illegal gun possession, tampering with evidence, and related crimes.

» READ MORE: Family of man wanted for killing Josh Kruger says the 19-year-old and the journalist shared sex and drugs

Police say Davis entered Kruger’s Point Breeze home in the middle of the night on Oct. 2 and shot him multiple times before fleeing. Kruger, 39, ran outside to seek help, before collapsing on the sidewalk. Police rushed him to a hospital, where he died a short time later.

Police have said the motive behind the killing remains unclear, but that the pair were in a relationship.

Davis’ mother and older brother said that relationship began years ago, when Davis was just 15, and involved sex, drugs, and abuse. They told The Inquirer in recent interviews that Davis said Kruger was threatening to post sexually explicit videos of him online before, police say, Davis shot him.

“He was scared,” Damica Davis said of her son. “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.’”

Detectives separately discovered and are investigating what multiple law enforcement sources have described as explicit photos and messages in Kruger’s phone. The sources, who requested anonymity to discuss the ongoing investigation, did not say whether the images or messages were connected to Davis, but said they were “disturbing” and have been turned over to the department’s Special Victims Unit for further analysis.

The Davis family’s assertions, and revelations from investigators, have added concerning new complexities to a shooting that garnered national attention. Kruger was well-known in the community as a freelance journalist and advocate for the LGBTQ community, and people experiencing homelessness and addiction. He worked for the city, including the Office of Homeless Services, for five years.

Damica Davis said that if her son did kill Kruger, there’s no excuse. But she believes Robert is also a victim and he endured years of sexual abuse.

“It’s tragic what happened,” Davis said. “But I feel like my son is a victim in this, as well.”

Damica Davis and her older son Jaylin Reason said that when Robert was 15, he told his family he was seeing an “older white woman” he met online who “worked for the government.” He would sneak out of the house, then return in the early morning hours, often high on drugs and with expensive gifts that he told them were from the woman, they said.

Davis became addicted to meth, which exacerbated his ongoing mental health troubles, his mother and brother said.

They frequently saw the name “Josh” pop up on his phone, they said, but when they asked who Josh was, Davis told them it was the woman’s brother, who was gay.

In time, they said, Davis told them the truth: there was no woman — he had been seeing Kruger all along.

They said they had followed Davis to Kruger’s block on the 2300 block of Watkins Street, desperate to find out where he was going and getting drugs. They trailed behind and watched as he walked the few blocks from their home, then turned onto Watkins Street, but they couldn’t figure out which house he was going into, they said.

Damica Davis said she tried to get help for her son, but she had limited resources, and he sneaked out of the house often or lied about where he spent his time.

She also said her son had never been homeless, despite initial statements to the contrary by law enforcement officials.

As police searched for Davis in recent weeks, longtime LGBTQ and racial justice activist Asa Khalif said he and others had pledged to provide Davis with support, including legal representation.

“No one is excusing the murder, but he has a story to tell,” Khalif said.

Police, meanwhile, have shared few details publicly in the case. Many of the remaining questions, Vanore said, lie with Davis.