Teen arrested in murder of Philly journalist Josh Kruger, family claims blackmail and underage sex

A 19-year-old man has been arrested for killing Philadelphia journalist Josh Kruger — whom the teen’s family claims was threatening to blackmail him over a drug-fueled sexual relationship that started when the suspect was just 15.

Philadelphia police announced the arrest of Robert Davis Wednesday night, after three weeks on the run.

Davis’ mother, Damica Davis, told the Philadelphia Inquirer that she and her son had arranged for the police to take him into custody at his home at 8:40 p.m.

Davis faces murder and other related counts in connection with Kruger’s Oct. 2 shooting death, police confirmed.

Police have previously said that Kruger, an outspoken LGBTQ+ advocate, was an acquaintance of Davis and was “trying to help him just get through life.”

But Davis’ mother and older brother told the Inquirer that the pair had been in a relationship that began when Davis was just 15 years old and came to involve sex and drugs.

The suspect’s family alleged that Kruger was threatening to share sexually explicit videos of the 19-year-old online before police said he shot the 39-year-old journalist seven times in the chest and abdomen inside his Point Breeze home.

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

“He said ‘… [Kruger] 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.'”

Investigators also discovered X-rated photos and messages on Kruger’s phone, which were described as “disturbing,” according to law enforcement sources speaking anonymously to the outlet.

The contents of Kruger’s phone have been turned over to the police department’s Special Victims Unit.

It was not immediately known whether the photos and messages found on Kruger’s phone were related to Davis – but sources speaking to the station 6abc said that the victim had exchanged a flurry of texts with the murder suspect.

The same sources said that drugs were found inside the journalist’s home after his death.

Kruger was a former City Hall employee who worked as the communications director for the city’s Office of Homeless Service from 2016 to 2021.

He later switched to a career in journalism, writing freelance articles and op-eds on topics of homelessness and LGBTQ+ issues for outlets like the Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia City Paper and Philadelphia Weekly.

After his death, Kruger was eulogized by Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner as an “openly queer writer who wrote about his own journey surviving substance use disorder and homelessness.”

“Josh deserved to write the ending of his personal story,” Krasner said at the time.

Krasner’s office did not immediately return a message seeking comment on Davis’ family’s allegations.

Reached on the phone, Kruger’s mother told The Post she had “nothing to say.”