A man who fatally shot a Philadelphia freelance journalist with whom he had a relationship was sentenced on Monday to 15 to 30 years in prison.
The man, Robert Davis, 20, who pleaded guilty to third-degree murder, also received a sentence of one to two years, to be served concurrently, for carrying a firearm without a license.
The freelance journalist, Josh Kruger, 39, was shot seven times and found in his South Philadelphia home in the early morning of Oct. 2 and was pronounced dead at an area hospital.
Mr. Kruger was a freelance journalist who wrote about a range of topics, such as L.G.B.T.Q. issues and poverty, for local newspapers including The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Philadelphia Citizen and BillyPenn.com. He had worked for the city of Philadelphia earlier in his career.
Mr. Davis, who was 19 at the time, was not at the scene when the police arrived. He was arrested three weeks later.
Investigators with the Philadelphia Police Department have said that the killing was domestic in nature as the two were involved in an intimate relationship.
After his arrest in Mr. Kruger’s shooting, the authorities filed additional charges against Mr. Davis for aggravated assault and illegal gun possession for firing a gun at someone on a train platform in September 2023.
Neither the district attorney’s office nor Defender Association of Philadelphia, which represented Mr. Davis, provided comment on the case.
After Mr. Kruger’s killing Jim Kenney, who was mayor at the time, said that he was “shocked and saddened” by his death. The Society of Professional Journalists also released a statement expressing their condolences.
