Phylicia Barnes' sister speaks about emotional return to court with suspect cleared in sibling's killing back on trial

Jurors heard graphic testimony Wednesday about the injuries a woman suffered when she alleged her boyfriend strangled and raped her inside her home in Baltimore County in July 2024.

The defendant in that trial, 42-year-old Michael Maurice Johnson, was cleared six years ago of charges that he murdered teenager Phylicia Barnes.

That 2010 crime dominated headlines in Baltimore.

Barnes' family attended court proceedings in Towson in the Johnson case and spoke to WJZ Investigator Mike Hellgren. 

Emotional for Barnes' sister 

"Just to hear what this woman went through, I feel like that's some of what my sister went through. You understand I felt like that's what she went through," Shauntel Sallis, the older sister of Phylicia Barnes, told WJZ through tears. 

Barnes was just 16 years old when she vanished just after Christmas in 2010. The honor student from North Carolina was visiting another sister in Northwest Baltimore. 

Authorities found her body 15 years ago this week in the Susquehanna River. 

"She came for a vacation, and she never came back home," Sallis said. 

She listened in court on Wednesday to testimony in the case of Michael Johnson. 

After three trials, Johnson was acquitted of Barnes' murder in 2018 but now faces charges he raped and strangled his 19-year-old girlfriend. 

"My heart is honestly heavy," Sallis said. "To hear what happened to this young lady, I didn't get a chance to hear from my sister what took place and what happened to her, and just to hear [this testimony], it just made me feel like I felt what my sister felt."

Asked whether she believes her family will ever get justice or closure, Sallis told WJZ Investigates, "I pray that this young lady gets justice, but I don't feel like my sister has gotten justice. I feel like this woman, I would love for her to get justice, but if he's convicted of this, I won't feel a happy feeling."

Johnson sat next to his defense lawyers on Wednesday wearing a charcoal suit with an open-collared white dress shirt. 

He is vigorously fighting the allegations against him and has been behind bars for almost two years. 

"Seeing Michael Johnson, it's not a good feeling," Sallis said. "I'm holding myself down in the chair to not get up."

She said her heart was heavy and she remembered Phylicia's spirit. 

"It's really hard. It's really hard sitting in there because that was my baby sister. I was eight when she was born. It hurts. The person I was before is gone," Sallis said. "This is heartbreaking because she was so sweet. She would never have hurt anyone."

New testimony 

Jurors saw multiple photos of the 2024 victim's injuries and heard from a GBMC nurse who treated her at the hospital and performed exams for rape and strangulation. 

"What she told me happened during the assault corroborated with the injuries that I saw," said registered nurse Melissa Cross.

Cross testified that the 2024 victim lost consciousness and control of her bladder. 

She noted blood vessels that burst in the victim's eyes, a toenail ripped off, her tongue was visibly swollen, and testified that the woman was having difficulty speaking due to pain and swelling.

Monique Smith is a victim advocate who listened to the testimony. 

"There almost wasn't a part of her body that they did not show that was damaged. There's bruising everywhere. So, she's probably frightened—and that happens to a lot of victims. This is why a lot of individuals don't come forward. They're scared. And what did she say? She said, 'I thought I was going to die.' I kid you not—that is bravery like no other," Smith said of the victim's testimony, which happened Tuesday inside a fourth-floor courtroom at Towson Circuit Court. "Her eyes were bloodshot, and she could not talk without having a suction tube. That's the severity of what that young lady endured."

You can read more about the victim's testimony here.

Johnson denies the most serious charges 

Johnson's lawyer conceded there was an assault but said no rape or attempted murder unfolded. 

His public defender, Amy Stone, tried to poke holes in the investigation, including questioning the lead detective, Timothy Lee, about not being thorough.

Stone asked him why the apartment was not examined until days after the incident and why certain evidence was not tested.

She also argued the victim's cousin, a police officer, played an outsize role in the detective's formal questioning of the victim at police headquarters weeks later.

Lee maintained that the victim could barely speak and had bloodshot eyes when he first encountered her at the GBMC emergency department.

"You could tell she was really distraught," he said.

Juror dismissed 

Before testimony began Wednesday, Judge Jan Alexander dismissed juror number three. 

He did not publicly provide an explanation but placed an alternate juror in the role.

"That's not any of your concern," Judge Alexander told the jury about the decision. "That's why we have alternates."

The trial is expected to last for five days.