The family of 19-year-old Robert Davis, the alleged murderer of Philadelphia activist Josh Kruger, 39, has come forward with allegations that Kruger initiated a drug-induced sexual relationship with Davis when he was merely 15 years old.
They claim that prior to the alleged shooting, Davis had informed the police that Kruger was threatening to expose sexually explicit videos of him on the internet.
In a recent interview with The Inquirer, the Davis family alleged that Davis, who remains at large, was grappling with the secrecy of the sexual relationship, which they believe led to the disintegration of his life.
During the investigation into Kruger's death, detectives reportedly found sexually explicit photos and messages on Kruger's phone. While the authorities did not confirm if Davis was involved in these images and messages, they described them as "disturbing" and handed the evidence over to the Special Victim's Unit, as reported by The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Deputy Police Commissioner Frank Vanore stated that investigators are examining the contents of Kruger's phone to ascertain further details about his potential cause of death. He emphasized that Davis, who remains at large, holds key information about the incident.
Vanore said, "I think he could answer a lot of questions if he comes into custody and surrenders. It might help us put all this together."
Damica Davis, the mother of the accused, revealed that her son contacted her a few hours after the Philadelphia police raided her South Philadelphia residence in search of him. She was urging him to surrender, but before the call ended, he attempted to justify his actions without confessing to the murder.
"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.'"
Josh Kruger, a leftist activist based in Philadelphia, was shot and killed in his home earlier this month. Despite his controversial history of far-left activism and allegations of sexually predatory behavior towards minors, Kruger was lauded by prominent Democrats in the city, including US Sen. John Fetterman and District Attorney Larry Krasner.
Sen. Fetterman mourned Kruger's death, calling it "devastating." He said, "A devastating loss. Josh cared deeply about Philly and fiercely advocated for the most vulnerable communities through his journalism. He will be sorely missed. Gisele + I send our deepest condolences to Josh's loved ones."
DA Larry Krasner also paid tribute to Kruger, saying, "Josh Kruger lifted up the most vulnerable and stigmatized people in our communities particularly unhoused people living with addiction."
According to Damica Davis and her older son Jaylin Reason, Davis has been battling mental health issues since his childhood. Damica revealed that Davis often engaged in confrontations and struggled to control his anger at school, partly due to the absence of his biological father. His problems escalated when he began sneaking out at night and returning home under the influence of drugs around the age of fifteen, as reported by the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Davis allegedly told his family that he was in a relationship with an "older white woman" who "worked for the government" whom he had met online. They noticed the name "Josh" frequently appearing in messages on his phone. When questioned about Josh's identity, Davis claimed that Josh was the woman's homosexual brother.
It was only during their conversation with him on Friday that Davis allegedly revealed that he had been involved with Kruger all along.
Kruger, who served in Philadelphia's Office of Homeless Services from 2015 to 2020, was candid about his personal mental health struggles and disclosed his HIV positive status in 2021.
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