BALTIMORE — A judge has granted a judgment of acquittal in the murder trial of a man accused of murdering North Carolina teenager Phylicia Barnes.
The move came a day after the prosecution rested its case and Michael Johnson's defense attorneys immediately asked for the judgment saying prosecutors failed to present enough evidence for a guilty verdict.
[READ MORE: Phylicia Barnes Murder: 3rd murder trial opens]
Barnes, of Monroe, NC - vanished while visiting family in Baltimore eight years ago.
Her body was found months later.
[RELATED: Appeals court orders new trial for man acquitted of killing Phylicia Barnes]
Her father, Russell Barnes, took the stand Tuesday and said he searched for his daughter for days.
[RELATED: Charges dismissed against man accused of killing Phylicia Barnes]
This was Johnson's third trial. His first conviction was overturned and the second trial ended in a mistrial.
Cox Media Group
