The man convicted and later acquitted of the murder of Phylicia Barnes is back behind bars

BALTIMORE – A man who was convicted and later acquitted of the 2010 murder of 16-year-old Phylicia Barnes is back behind bars for allegedly raping a young girl.

This latest incident occurred on July 1 at an apartment complex on Marquette Road.

A social worker called Baltimore County police on behalf of the girl, who said she had been strangled and raped by her boyfriend, 40-year-old Michael Johnson.

Charging documents say the girl had burst blood vessels in her eyes and a “severely swollen” mouth and tongue, forcing her to communicate with officers via cellphone message.

According to the victim, she and Johnson have been in a relationship since June 2023. During an interview with investigators, she described Johnson as a “sugar daddy.”

The two reportedly lived together in York, Pennsylvania for a while last October before the girl’s foster family got involved.

Johnson apparently became enraged when he overheard the victim talking on the phone to her sister about another guy.

This led to a relentless attack on the victim, which she said lasted about six hours.

During this time, Johnson repeatedly strangled and raped her until she lost consciousness.

The victim recalled defending himself at one point by punching Johnson in the face, but that only made matters worse.

The girl said she eventually allowed Johnson to continue the assault so that it would stop.

When it was all over, she notified her social worker.

Police later arrived at the apartment and found Johnson sleeping in the bedroom.

He admitted to having sex with the victim and added that they both smoked marijuana and took mushrooms.

Johnson’s version of how things started differed from that of his girlfriend.

According to his story, the victim became angry and first hit him because he was texting another woman.

Investigators found a bump on Johnson’s head and scratches on his forearms and believed these were from his girlfriend trying to defend herself.

Johnson later requested an attorney and did not answer further questions from investigators.

This is not the first time Johnson has been accused of a violent crime.

He was previously in a relationship with the sister of 16-year-old Phylicia Barnes, whose body was found in the Susquehanna River after she disappeared during a family visit in Baltimore in 2010.

Johnson was charged and convicted of Barnes’ murder, but the conviction was later overturned.

After three separate trials, a judge finally acquitted Johnson due to lack of evidence.

Following these latest allegations, Johnson is now back behind bars without the possibility of release on bail.