19-year-old accused of killing Josh Kruger expected to plead guilty

The 19-year-old man accused of fatally shooting local journalist and advocate Josh Kruger last fall is expected to plead guilty to murder and related crimes, attorneys said Tuesday.

Robert Davis appeared in court Tuesday morning for the first time since he was arrested in October and charged with killing Kruger, 39, on the steps of his Point Breeze home late one fall night.

Davis waived his right to a preliminary hearing, allowing the case to move forward.

Davis’ attorney and the prosecutor on the case said Davis was expected to plead guilty to third-degree murder and possession of an instrument of crime for his role in Kruger’s death. He would also plead guilty to aggravated assault and illegal gun possession for firing a gun at someone on a SEPTA platform in the weeks earlier, said Assistant District Attorney Jeffrey Palmer.

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

In exchange, prosecutors dropped the more serious first-degree murder charge and agreed to a cumulative sentence of 15 to 30 years in prison.

Jane Roh, a spokesperson for the district attorney’s office, said Kruger’s family has been updated on every development in the case and informed of the hearing and plea agreement.

Davis’ attorney Andrea Konow declined to comment.

The anticipated plea is the latest development in a complex case that drew national attention. But Davis’ decision to waive the preliminary hearing also prevented many details of the crime from being publicly aired — including a potential motive.

Police have said that Davis and Kruger had been in a sexual relationship, and that the killing was domestic in nature.

Davis’ mother and older brother have said the relationship between the two began years ago — when Davis was only 15, and involved sex, drugs, and abuse. They told The Inquirer in previous 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.’”

Over the years Davis saw Kruger, which his family said he told them was from age 15 until the shooting, Davis became addicted to meth. This exacerbated Davis’ ongoing mental health troubles, his mother and brother said. They said Davis told them Kruger often provided him with the drugs.

Kruger was well-known in Philadelphia 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, and his death shocked many in the city who knew and supported his work with vulnerable populations.

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

With Davis expected to admit his guilt, many of the details behind the crime and Davis’ relationship with Kruger may never be publicly revealed in court.

On Tuesday, within minutes of appearing in the courtroom, Davis left to return to the Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility, where he has been since his arrest in late October. He’s scheduled to be formally arraigned April 2.