Penn. Man killed romantic partner and burned his body to cover up relationship

• A Pennsylvania man was sentenced to life in prison for killing his romantic partner and burning his body to cover up their relationship, authorities said
• On Friday, September 27, a Philadelphia jury convicted Kylen Pratt, 23, of first-degree murder for the brutal 2022 killing of Naasire Johnson, 20
• “Make no mistake,” Assistant District Attorney Cydney Pope said in a statement. “The murder of Naasire Johnson was a hate crime. Kylen Pratt did not want anyone to know about his romantic relationship with the victim.”

A Pennsylvania man was sentenced to life in prison for killing his romantic partner and burning his body to cover up their relationship, authorities said.

On Friday, September 27, a Philadelphia jury convicted Kylen Pratt, 23, of first-degree murder for the brutal 2022 killing of Naasire Johnson, 20, in the Brewerytown neighborhood, the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office announced in a statement.

Following his conviction, a judge sentenced Pratt to life in prison without the possibility of parole, followed by a consecutive term of 4.5 to 9 years.

The killing is considered a hate crime because Pratt was romantically involved with Johnson at the time of the killing, prosecutors said.

“This is a person who was killed because he was gay and because the man who killed him didn’t want anyone to know he was dating him,” Assistant District Attorney Cydney Pope said at a news conference Monday reported to a local media outlet WPVI.

“Make no mistake,” Pope said in the statement. “The murder of Naasire Johnson was a hate crime. Kylen Pratt did not want anyone to know about his romantic relationship with the victim.”

Authorities were able to solve the crime based on the person who provided the anonymous tip, she said.

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Investigators learned that Johnson drove an Uber from his family’s residence in West Philadelphia to Pratt’s home on Oxford Street in the early morning hours of Feb. 17, 2022, prosecutors said in the statement.

“Pratt shot Johnson in the neck shortly after the victim’s arrival,” the statement continued, noting that he then transported Johnson’s body to a secluded trail in Fairmount Park and set the body on fire.

If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or visit thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available around the clock in more than 170 languages.