Baltimore police have arrested Michael Johnson in the murder of Monroe, N.C., 16-year-old Phylicia Barnes, who was murdered as she visited her half-siblings in the area, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
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Barnes, an honors student and athlete, went missing on December 28, 2010, and her body wasn’t found until the following April at the Conowingo Dam, which is in the Susquehanna River. Her father identified the body. A month later, results from an autopsy proved Barnes’ demise was a homicide.
Watch details on her homicide here:
Johnson is actually a former boyfriend of Barnes’ half-sister, Deena. He is reportedly the last person to have seen Barnes and acted oddly after she went missing. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports:
When Phylicia Barnes disappeared, Johnson had been breaking up with the teen’s older half-sister, Deena, after dating for about 10 years, Russell Barnes said. The family had trusted Johnson — the last person to see Phylicia Barnes alive — but he acted suspiciously after the girl disappeared, avoiding people and phone calls, Russell Barnes said.
Watch video on Johnson’s arrest here:
Now that Johnson has been apprehended, Barnes’ dad, Russell, says he can breathe easier:
“It’s been a long day coming. It’s a bittersweet day. “I can rest better and maybe Phylicia can rest a whole lot better.”
In a press conference scheduled for Thursday afternoon, authorities plan to announce what the specific charges are in Barnes’ murder.
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