Manager Jonathan Pryor’s body was found shot

On Feb 9, 2022

Jonathan D. Pryor, 46, was fatally shot Dec. 17 before firefighters removed his body from a fire that morning at the Confidential Gentlemen's Club on the Far East Side where he was manager and security chief.

A man whose body was found in mid-December by firefighters responding to a fire inside a strip club on Columbus’ Far East Side has now been identified by police as the club’s manager and head of security.

Jonathan D. Pryor, 46, was shot Dec. 17 before firefighters removed his body early that morning from the fire at Confidential Gentlemen’s Club, said Sgt. James Marable of the Columbus police homicide unit.

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But it wasn’t until this week that Columbus police publicly identified Pryor as the victim of that homicide because they had to wait on an autopsy by the Franklin County Coroner’s office to officially confirm his identity and cause of death.

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Pryor, a Far East Side resident, was the manager and security chief at the club, located at 1962 Lake Club Dr., according to a Columbus police incident report. Police believe Pryor was likely shot during a robbery and the fire was started to cover the slaying.

Because of his large frame — Pryor was reportedly 6-foot-6 and weighed approximately 365 pounds — he was known affectionately as “Truck.”

Despite his imposing size, Pryor was a beloved fixture at the club, said Brent Davis, a Dublin-based commercial real estate broker who managed and leased out spaces at the property for nearly seven years.

“He was the sweetest guy you’d ever meet, great guy,” Davis said. “It’s a shame.”

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On the morning of Pryor’s death, a passerby reported seeing smoke around 6:38 a.m. coming from the rear of the Confidential Gentlemen’s Club, located in a shopping center.

When firefighters arrived at 6:44 a.m., Battalion Chief Steve Martin has said the business was filled with smoke, but the fire was relatively small and “contained quickly.” Firefighters found Pryor inside and removed him, but he was pronounced dead within 10 minutes after arrival.

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Because of the suspicious nature of Pryor’s death, Columbus police homicide detectives responded to the scene at 6:55 a.m. after fire crews had finished ensuring it was safe.

Pryor’s female cousin called 911 around 9 a.m. on Dec. 17 wondering if it was Pryor who was the victim whose body was found in the club because he wasn’t answering his phone, she told the dispatcher.

Pryor’s death was recorded five days later as the 194th homicide of 2021, the city’s deadliest year on record in which 204 people were ultimately killed.

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Police have identified no suspects in Pryor’s slaying, which was the second homicide last year just outside or inside the club.

A total of four people have been killed in the past two years at the large retail complex where the club is located on Channingway Boulevard, just south of East Livingston Avenue and west of Brice Road.