Bail denied for Md. man charged in NC teen’s death
Apr 27, 2012, 9:29 PM
BALTIMORE (AP) – A Baltimore judge has denied bail for a man accused of killing a North Carolina teenager who was missing for months before her body was found in a Maryland river.
Prosecutors said Friday that Michael Johnson mentioned in emails and texts that he would flee the country if charged. As a result, Judge John Addison Howard ordered Johnson held without bail.
Johnson has been charged with first-degree murder in the death of 16-year-old Phylicia Barnes. He is the ex-boyfriend of Barnes’ half-sister.
He has denied the charges and his attorney calls the case circumstantial.
Prosecutors say Johnson killed Barnes in her half-sister’s apartment, then used a 35-gallon tub to move the body. They say he was videotaped buying the tub and a neighbor saw him carrying it.
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