PHILADELPHIA (September 30, 2024) — The Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office announced on Monday that a jury has convicted Kylen Pratt (DOB 9/9/01) of First-Degree Murder for brutally slaying 20-year-old Naasire Johnson in 2022 in the city’s Brewerytown section. The defendant and victim were in a romantic relationship at the time of Johnson’s murder.
In the early morning hours of February 17, 2022, Johnson procured an Uber and traveled from his family’s West Philadelphia residence to Pratt’s home located on the 2900 block of Oxford Street. Pratt shot Johnson in the neck shortly after the victim’s arrival. The defendant subsequently transported Johnson’s body to a remote trail in Fairmount Park and set the corpse on fire.
Johnson’s badly burned remains were discovered by two individuals later that afternoon. He could only be identified through a DNA analysis.
Working off of an anonymous tip, investigators began focusing on Pratt as a suspect. After obtaining a warrant, police accessed Pratt’s cell detail records and were able to place him with Johnson at the time of the murder and in Fairmount Park. Another search warrant for the defendant’s home revealed carpet padding and hardwood flooring drenched in what was later identified as the victim’s blood. Police also discovered a sizable portion of the carpeting that had recently been heavily bleached. A 9mm semi-automatic crime gun was also recovered that provided forensic evidence linking Pratt to the crime.
An analysis of the defendant’s cell phone data also uncovered Google searches for news coverage of the discovery of Johnson’s remains in addition to searches for “traits of a psychopath,” “having sex with dead bodies,” and “killing in cold blood.”
Pratt was arrested on June 21, 2022, and subsequently convicted by a Philadelphia jury on September 27, 2024, of First-Degree Murder (H1), Abuse of Corpse (M2), Tampering with Evidence (M2), and Possession of an Instrument of Crime (PIC) (M1).
“The Krasner administration will do everything in its power to hold accountable those who perpetrate heinous crimes such as the murder of Naasire Johnson,” said DAO First Assistant Robert Listenbee. “I commend Assistant District Attorney Cydney Pope for her thorough and dedicated prosecution of this defendant. We will continue to pursue justice in collaboration with the Philadelphia Police Department and other law enforcement partners for the LGBTQ+ community and all communities who suffer through the trauma caused by violent crime.”
“Make no mistake: The murder of Naasire Johnson was a hate crime. Kylen Pratt did not want anyone to know of his romantic involvement with the victim,” said Assistant District Attorney Cydney Pope. “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. And finally, I thank the family and friends of Naasire Johnson for their courage and strength throughout this extremely difficult trial.”
“These types of crimes are not just individual tragedies. They infect entire communities,” said Minister Sultan Hakeem Pitts of Interfaith Community. “LGBTQIA people, especially Black and Brown people, are disproportionately impacted by these hate crimes, causing our community profound and lasting mental health challenges. And while this moment does bring some small form of closure, no sentence can fully heal the pain caused by Naasire’s tragic death. He was and is a full person and more than just a name, with love, with light, with intelligence, and with potential. His death has left an indelible mark upon our hearts.”
The Hon. Giovanni Campbell sentenced Pratt last week to a mandatory sentence of life in state incarceration without the possibility of parole followed by a consecutive period of 4.5 to 9 years.
CONTACT:
Dustin Slaughter, [email protected]
The video collage below is provided by the Johnson family for use by members of the news media.