violesense: Murder Of Phylicia Barnes 16-year-old high school junior, Phylicia Barnes, h
violesense: Murder Of Phylicia Barnes 16-year-old high school junior, Phylicia Barnes, had a promising future ahead of her. She was an honor student from Monroe, North Carolina, having had plans to graduate early and attend Townson University. Phylicia was especially close with her half-sister, Deena, and would frequently visit her home in Baltimore. It was Christmas of 2010, and Phylicia went to Baltimore to visit her family. On December 28th, Deena left her apartment complex to go to work, leaving Phylicia alone. Phylicia would normally accompany her sister to work, but she decided to sleep in that day. Sometime during the day, she left the apartment, being seen walking to Reisterstown Road Plaza in Baltimore. This would be the last time the teen was seen alive. Deena desperately tried to get in touch with Phylicia, but the young girl never picked up. It was especially concerning that Phylicia’s social media activity came to a dead stop, though she was described as being one who was constantly active. When police were notified, they quickly realized that Phylicia hadn’t left on her own accord. Given the bitter Christmas weather, it was suspicious that she wouldn’t have taken her coat. She had also left behind her personal belongings, including her purse and money. In the days following Phylicia’s disappearance, no activity came from her phone or credit cards, with authorities telling the Baltimore area that the teen was considered to be in enormous danger. Police began to close-in on Deena’s ex-boyfriend, a 28-year-old Michael Johnson, who suspiciously called into work and vanished after Phylicia’s disappearance. According to the Barnes’, Phylicia allegedly had a schoolgirl crush on Johnson, who occasionally chaperoned her when Deena went to work. Two months before Phylicia’s disappearance, Deena had separated from Johnson, with the aftermath being admittedly tense. It was also a source of concern when Johnson was moving his belongings out of Deena’a apartment on December 28th, reportedly struggling to drag a 35-gallon tub out of her apartment, which many theorize was Phylicia’s body. A horrifying discovery came a year later, when the body of Phylicia Barnes was found floating in the Susquehanna River on April 20th, 2011. Police confirmed her identity through dental records and a tattoo, but initially revealed that they did not consider the case to be foul-play. After a further autopsy was conducted, it was evident that Phylicia had been murdered. Johnson was eventually arrested, with police believing that he and Phylicia were engaged in a sexual relationship before she died, also revealing that the two exchanged over 1,200 text messages a few months following up to her disappearance. The most shocking bombshell came when the prosecution introduced an explicit tape, showing Johnson, Phylicia, and her own sister, Deena, allegedly intoxicated and partially nude. Though the exact details in the video are undisclosed, the prosecution are adamant that it is quite disturbing. Deena came out with her side of the scandal, but only assured investigators and the public to get justice for her sister. The judge ultimately dropped all charges against Johnson, who’s now free on supervised release. Although he remains his innocence, the victim’s father, Russell Barnes, insists that Johnson is guilty and the mastermind behind the sex tape. -- source link