Another chapter has unfolded in the ongoing legal fallout surrounding the now-shuttered Turkey Leg Hut restaurant and its co-founder, Lyndell “Lynn” Price.
Federal prosecutors confirmed to Houston Public Media that one of the men accused of setting fire to a Houston bar tied to Price has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit arson.
Court records show that 27-year-old Miziah Shepherd entered his plea on Tuesday in connection to the June 2020 fire that destroyed Bar 5015 in Houston’s Third Ward.
Shepherd is one of four men who prosecutors say conspired to set the fire at the request of Price, who is still awaiting trial on federal arson and firearms charges.
According to the plea agreement, Shepherd admitted that on the morning of June 12, 2020, he and three others poured gasoline across the deck of Bar 5015 and set it ablaze. The explosion caused extensive damage but no injuries.
Bar 5015 sits just a block from the former Turkey Leg Hut location on Almeda Road. Federal investigators allege that Price ordered the arson as retaliation against the bar’s owner, Steve Rogers, a former business partner and co-owner of the Turkey Leg Hut.
Prosecutors say the fire was carried out “for their own financial gain” and was motivated in part by the competition between Bar 5015 and the restaurant. After the incident, Price allegedly paid the men involved, including Shepherd.
Shepherd was arrested in May 2025, shortly after Price’s federal arrest. As part of his plea deal, all other charges against him will be dismissed, but he faces a sentence of five to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. He will be eligible for parole after serving at least three years.
The case against Price remains active. He was initially charged with conspiracy and arson for the Bar 5015 fire, along with an additional count related to the burning of a 1975 blue Chevrolet Nova that federal agents say was tied to an illegal vehicle operation.
Last month, prosecutors added three more charges: possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and two counts of felon in possession of a firearm. One of the weapons was reportedly modified to function as a flamethrower.
Price’s trial is currently set for March 16, 2026, and now includes four co-defendants, one of whom—Javon Harris—was added in October after his own arrest on conspiracy and arson charges. Price, who has been in federal custody since April, previously requested an expedited trial date.
The Turkey Leg Hut, which Price co-founded with his ex-wife Nakia Holmes in 2015, was once one of Houston’s most prominent dining spots. Known for its stuffed turkey legs, food truck expansions, and celebrity patrons, the restaurant drew national attention before a series of legal, financial, and personal disputes led to its collapse.
The business filed for bankruptcy in 2024, with more than $6 million in debt, and later permanently closed after its lease was terminated.
In October, Holmes was separately arrested on a felony charge of hindering apprehension in a case unrelated to the restaurant.