A Philadelphia man who killed his secret lover, wrapped his body in plastic and lit him on fire in an effort to cover up their romance will spend the rest of his life behind bars.
There will be no opportunity for parole for Kylen Pratt, 23, who was found guilty of first-degree murder, abuse of a corpse, tampering with evidence and possession of an instrument of crime, in connection with the brutal slaying of 20-year-old Naasir Johnson, the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office announced Friday.
Johnson took an Uber to Pratt's home in February 2022.
Shortly after he arrived, Pratt shot Johnson in the neck, wrapped his body in plastic and duct tape, and set it on fire on a remote trail in Fairmount Park, prosecutors said, according to WTXF-TV.
His charred remains were found later that afternoon by two people walking their dog.
"Kylen Pratt doesn't know what he did to all of us by taking Naasir from us," Johnson family friend, Rashonda Power, told the station. "He didn't deserve that and for you to burn his body until we couldn't see him – there's no amount of forgiveness."
"Sometimes I just force myself to go to sleep, my heart is so torn in so many pieces," Johnson's grandmother, Cynthia Johnson, added. "I couldn't even see him when they laid him to rest. I couldn't even see him."
Detectives received an anonymous tip that Pratt was the murderer.
During an investigation of his home, detectives discovered bloodied carpet and the gun used to kill Johnson. Cell phone data revealed Pratt searched for "traits of a psychopath," "having sex with dead bodies," and "killing in cold blood," around the time of the killing, said prosecutors.
"Make no mistake: The murder of Naasir Johnson was a hate crime. Kylen Pratt did not want anyone to know of his romantic involvement with the victim," Assistant District Attorney Cydney Pope said in a statement.
"I want to thank Philadelphia Police Detective Antoinina (Toni) Anderson for her excellent investigation in this case. I also sincerely thank the individual who provided the anonymous tip that led investigators to Kylen Pratt," she said. "And finally, I thank the family and friends of Naasir Johnson for their courage and strength throughout this extremely difficult trial."
