Josh Kruger, a 39-year-old journalist and advocate, was shot seven times in the chest and abdomen in his Point Breeze home in the early hours of October 2, 2023. Around 1:30 a.m. Kruger managed to get outside seeking help but collapsed on the sidewalk and was later pronounced dead at Penn Presbyterian Hospital. Investigators reported no signs of forced entry into the residence and found methamphetamines in Kruger’s bedroom.

Philadelphia police identified 19-year-old Robert Edmond Davis as a suspect and arrested him on October 25, 2023. Authorities described the two as acquaintances and said Kruger had been trying to help Davis; evidence from Kruger’s phone showed they were in a sexual relationship. Davis’s family told a different, more troubled story, alleging the relationship began when Davis was 15, involved drugs and abuse, and that Kruger had supplied methamphetamine and threatened to release sexually explicit videos shortly before the shooting.

In June 2024 Davis pleaded guilty to third-degree murder, aggravated assault, and illegal gun possession and received a 15 to 30 year sentence under a negotiated plea that also covered a separate shooting incident. Are there details about Kruger’s life, work, or the neighborhood that might shed light on what happened that night?