A Texas man has learned his fate after strangling his neighbor to death with an electrical cord and leaving the victim’s body out in the open.
The Bexar County District Attorney’s Office announced that Malik Pryor, 29, had been sentenced to 99 years in prison for the “brutal” strangulation of Jarrod Papen, 39, in 2022. Pryor’s sentence came after he was convicted of murder earlier this week.
Papen left his apartment on May 14, 2022, and did not return, according to his partner, Michael Simek, who testified against Pryor in the trial. The district attorney’s office stated that Papen and Pryor had “several verbal disputes” prior to this spring day.
Simek discovered Papen’s cigarette pack several feet from their front door and thought it strange, according to an arrest affidavit obtained by San Antonio ABC affiliate KSAT. He reported his partner missing the next day.
Pryor’s girlfriend made the discovery about where Papen had gone. On the day the victim went missing, she saw him in her boyfriend’s apartment, sitting on the living room floor with his back against the sofa, and he appeared to have “passed out on alcohol or drugs,” she told police, according to court documents filed in the case.
When the girlfriend asked Pryor why Papen, who she recognized as his neighbor, was in his apartment, he replied, “I’m not sure. “He just walked in,” the San Antonio Express-News reported. She had reportedly been dating Pryor for ten years but had recently moved out of his home.
The woman was said to be there to drive Pryor to his father’s house, which she did. The next day, she returned to the apartment to retrieve some clothes. Upon entering, she noticed Papen was in the “same position,” so she contacted authorities.
“The Bexar County Medical Examiner later determined that Papen had been strangled to death with an electrical cord,” the district attorney’s office said. During Pryor’s trial, photos of the bloody cord, a bullet, and blood-stained clothing were shown, according to the local newspaper. Papen also suffered blunt force injuries to the head.
Pryor evaded authorities for nearly a year after being charged with the murder, until he was apprehended in April 2023.
Bexar County District Attorney Joe Gonzales celebrated the sentencing on Friday.
“Justice demands accountability, and today, justice was served for the victim’s family, friends, and our community,” Gonzales claimed.
