Jonathan Pryor

Jonathan D. Pryor was the manager and head of security at the Confidential Gentlemen's Club in Columbus, Ohio. A 46-year-old Black man, Pryor was known affectionately as "Truck" because of his large frame, standing at six-foot-six and weighing around 365 pounds. Despite his imposing size, those who knew him remembered him as a beloved fixture at the club and "the sweetest guy you'd ever meet."

On the morning of December 17, 2021, a passerby reported smoke coming from the club on Lake Club Drive just before 6:40 a.m. Firefighters arrived minutes later to find the business filled with smoke. After quickly containing a small fire, they discovered Pryor’s body inside near the bar. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The Franklin County Coroner’s Office later determined that Pryor had been shot, and his death was ruled a homicide. Investigators believed he was killed during a robbery and that the fire was intentionally set to conceal the crime. His death was the 194th homicide in what would become Columbus's deadliest year on record, with 204 homicides.

Homicide detectives immediately began investigating the suspicious death. Their work led them to Nazeeh Yaktin, who was the last person seen with Pryor at the club on the night he was killed. According to court documents, Yaktin gave investigators a statement that was inconsistent with accounts from other staff members. Evidence collected at the scene also contradicted his version of events.

In April 2022, police arrested Yaktin, then 39, at his residence in Grove City and charged him in connection with Pryor’s death. He was indicted on two counts of murder, aggravated murder, arson, abuse of a corpse, and tampering with evidence.

Following a trial, a jury found Nazeeh Yaktin guilty on all counts. After the verdict was delivered but before a sentence could be handed down, Yaktin’s attorneys filed a motion for a new trial, alleging irregularities with the jury. As of November 2023, Yaktin was awaiting sentencing and a judge’s ruling on the motion for a new trial.