Man sentenced to life for killing gay lover and burning his body

A Philadelphia jury found Kylen Pratt guilty of first-degree murder, abuse of a corpse, tampering with evidence and possession of an instrument of crime in the Sept. 27 killing of 20-year-old Naasire Johnson.

Three days later, Judge Giovanni Campbell sentenced the 23-year-old to a mandatory sentence of life in state prison, without the possibility of parole, followed by a consecutive term of four and a half years at nine years old.

Prosecutors claimed Pratt, who was romantically involved with Johnson while also dating women, killed the 20-year-old to cover up their relationship.

In the early morning hours of February 17, 2022, Johnson obtained an Uber and drove from the family’s West Philadelphia residence to Pratt’s home in the city’s Brewerytown neighborhood. Shortly after arriving, Pratt shot Johnson in the neck, killing him. He carried Johnson’s body to a secluded trail in nearby Fairmount Park and set the corpse on fire.

Johnson’s remains were discovered later that day and the body was identified through DNA analysis.

Working on an anonymous tip, detectives zeroed in on Pratt as the suspect. Police accessed detailed cell records from Pratt and were able to place him with Johnson at the time of the murder and at Fairmount Park.

An analysis of Pratt’s cell phone data revealed that Google was searching for media coverage of the discovery of Johnson’s remains, in addition to the phrases “traits of a psychopath,” “having sex with dead bodies.” and “kill in cold blood.”

A separate search warrant for Pratt’s home revealed carpet padding and soaked wood flooring soaked in what was later identified as Johnson’s blood.

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Police also discovered that much of the carpet had been heavily bleached. Police also recovered a 9-millimeter semi-automatic weapon from the residence, which provided forensic evidence linking the weapon to Johnson’s murder.

At the time of Pratt’s arrest, Nassire Johnson’s grandmother, Cynthia, told the Philadelphia Investigator that she believed her grandson was the victim of a hate crime and that the murderer should be sentenced to life in prison.

“Make no mistake: Naasire Johnson’s murder was a hate crime. Kylen Pratt did not want anyone to know about his romantic relationship with the victim,” Assistant Philadelphia District Attorney Cydney Pope said in a statement.

“These types of crimes are not just individual tragedies. They are infecting entire communities,” Minister Sultan Hakeem Pitts of the Interfaith Community said in a statement. “LGBTQIA people, particularly Black and Brown people, are disproportionately impacted by these hate crimes, causing our community deep and lasting mental health issues.

“And while this moment brings some form of closure, no sentence can completely heal the pain caused by Naasire’s tragic death. He was and is a whole person and more than just a name, full of love, light, intelligence and potential. His death left an indelible mark on our hearts. »