Phylicia Barnes Murder Case Now Open: Court of Appeals

Baltimore, MD — The man who was convicted, then acquitted, in the murder of 16-year-old Phylicia Barnes may be headed back to trial.

Michael Maurice Johnson, 32, of the 600 block of Cooks Lane, was indicted on a first-degree murder charge in 2012 in connection with the death of Barnes, who disappeared three days after Christmas 2010.

When a judge declared a mistrial for Johnson last year, it reset the case so that a new trial, not an acquittal, was in order, the Maryland Court of Appeals ruled Wednesday. One judge dissented.

Disappearance of Phylicia Barnes

Barnes, who lived in North Carolina, disappeared Dec. 28, 2010, while visiting her half-sister in Baltimore.

Her half-sister's boyfriend—Johnson—was said to have been the last person to see Barnes alive.

Searchers fanned out in Baltimore and surrounding suburbs looking for Barnes after she was reported missing.

Her body was found in the Susquehanna River near the Conowingo Dam in April 2011.

Conviction, Mistrials, Acquittal

Jurors found Johnson guilty of second-degree murder in February 2013.

On appeal, a Baltimore City judge acquitted Johnson in January 2015.

When the Baltimore City State’s Attorney’s Office attempted to indict him for a third trial, Judge John Addison Howard ruled in favor of Johnson’s attorneys, who asked that the indictment be dismissed.

Johnson was incarcerated for nearly three years, until his release in late January 2015, when Howard ruled to acquit him following two mistrials.

• Judge Dismisses Indictment in Phylicia Barnes Case
• New Trial for Man Convicted of Murdering Phylicia Barnes
• Prosecutors Say Sex Video Shows Phylicia Barnes, Accused Murderer

A new trial date has not yet been set.