The Phylicia Barnes Murder Trial Day Two Recap: Tears Fall As Teen’ Older Sister Testifies Revealing Her Own Lies & Deception
Posted by David Adams on January 29th, 2013
I have the transcript from the “Peas In Their Pods” interview with Deena, Kelly, and Bryan Barnes as they talked about the disappearance of their kid sister Phylicia Barnes on a Internet Radio Broadcast about Missing Children. I have it, and part of the transcript from that broadcast is right here:
Jan DB, you can answer this or not. There has been reports on the news that you had said that PB was drinking alcohol and smoking pot the night before. Is that true or can you say?
DB That is not true.
Peas Thank you for clearing that up. That is something a lot of people have heard and believe. so your account is she was in yoru home and that is not what she was doing.
(Minute 27)
DB Right.
Jan Thank you DB.
DB I have actually, because of those accusations, I have requested that I be given a drug test. I have taken it, and we are awaiting the results, but I am positive that I passed it. The results aren’t back yet though.
Peas That’s on record. You did not observe those types of behavior, nor did you engage in them. That’s on the record. Moving on from that…
I was certain that I hadn’t misinterpret the discussion on “Peas” that night, but today in open court Deena Barnes ghost revealed themselves to the world as she testified that she had in fact given her baby sister alcohol and marijuana one night in June of 2010, after months of denying, lying, and being deceitful regarding the activities occurring at her home while Phylicia was there. Phylicia Barnes’ mother Janice Mustafa told TPC in a previous interview that she confronted Deena about these allegations after a close friend of her daughter revealed to her that Phylicia had been allowed to drink vodka, and smoke pot while visiting Baltimore. There were so many people who attacked the grieving mom, called her crazy, and even said some horrible things about her on social media. When prosecutors called deena Barnes as their only witness on day two of the trial, revelations of the alcohol and marijuana rumors were proven to have been true, while Deena Barnes wiped away tears at times in court today. Deena told the court that Phylicia Simone Barnes was a beautiful person, bubbly, funny, smart, loving and caring.” Despite their 11-year age difference, she described Phylicia as “my best friend.” State Attorney Lisa Goldberg hammered Deena Barnes regarding the sex tape (which is actually turning out to be nothing more that kissing and naked touching between the individuals captured on the recording) when the sex tape was played for the jurors, which was a 16-minute video they said depicted Deena Barnes and Johnson, along with Phylicia and Johnson’s younger brother Glenton Michael Johnson (not Dylane Davis as previously reported) kissing and “nakedly” touching after leaving a June 2010 party on a dare that they go streaking together. Deena Barnes dabbed her eyes with a tissue, acknowledging that her teenage sister, on that night and others, became intoxicated, smoked marijuana and spent the night in the same room with boys. As Deena described these events I couldn’t image what was going through Janice Mustafa’ mind, because she has continuously publicly stated that she had a lengthy discussion with Deena regarding her expectations of supervision while Phylicia was in Baltimore. Attorney Goldberg asked Deena “what were you thinking at the time?” “I wasn’t,” said Barnes, as her voice lowered and a swoop of hair covered her right eye. Deena also testified that on the night of the party which included 7-8 people, Johnson made a dare for someone to go streaking, and young Phylicia took him up on it. They all ran to a local school playground and stripped nude. Deena Barnes testified that it was her phone that the sex tape was recorded on. Deena went on to describe a game called “joinking” that they would play, in which Deena and the defendant Michael Johnson would grab each other’s private parts. Deena said the phone the video was recorded on belonged to her, and that she and Phylicia were both drunk. While they all ran around nude Johnson is depicted in the tape kissing and fondling Deena, but prosecutors allege that Johnson was watching Deena’ baby sister Phylicia. According to Deena, Phylicia was also seen grabbing the defendant’s penis in the “joinking” game, but this couldn’t be verified because the big screen T.V. was facing the jurors, and turned away from spectators in the court room. However, when the tape was played in court voices could be heard giggling and joking, followed by periods of silence during which kissing noises were audible. At one point, the man filming on Deena Barnes’ cell phone remarks that he’s been “left out,” and Deena Barnes confirms for the court by later testifying that Phylicia is shown on the tape playfully grabbing Johnson’s penis. Much of what Deena testified to today for the most part isn’t that much of a shock to many followers of the case. There was wide spread suspicion from the beginning when the child’s siblings gave an interview on “Peas In Their Pods”. Deena Barnes only confirmed the lies she told many have suspected all along. Deena further testified that she later saw Phylicia and Michael Johnson together in her apartment’s bathroom, with Johnson tending to the girl’s knee. From the bedroom, Barnes said, she saw Johnson reach for the girl’s genitals. She laughed and pushed his hand away, said Barnes, who testified that she was disturbed by the interaction and confronted Johnson about it. “I asked him, did he just try to touch my sister. He said no,” Barnes testified. She asked him again, then asked Phylicia about it. Deena Barnes said she considered calling their father, but worried that he might forbid his daughters to spend time together. “I was scared,” she testified. “Scared of not being able to see Phylicia anymore. I thought she wouldn’t be able to come around anymore.” The jury is still out in the court of public opinion regarding Deena’s candur about being afraid she wouldn’t see Phylicia again if she had told her dad Russell Barnes. In fact just about everyone who has been following this case more than likely are dumb founded as to why Deena never took more proactive measures to deter Michael Johnson from being able to make a pass at her baby sister ever again. She testified that she actually observed him when he attempted to touch the child’s genitalia, but only questioned him about it. I think it’s safe to say that the average woman around Deena’s age if presented with a similar situation probably would have put Michael out, ended their relationship on the spot, and just may have called the cops considering Phylicia was a minor. Deena admitted that her relationship with Johnson, who was her live-in boyfriend, and whom she had been dating for 10 years was troubled. She testified that her relationship with him was effectively over by 2010, even though they continued to live together, and even moved into a new apartment together around June of 2010. Her testimony related to the Johnson relationship has been called under the fire also. There is a perception that Michael never really cared about Deena Barnes, but simply used her. Deena never testified about the cause for her rocky relationship with Michael, but social media has been buzzing the last two years about Michael Johnson sleeping around on Deena, and even fathered a child by a former friend of Deena Barnes, name Tabitha Fickling. It’s been widely believed with the public that Deena Barnes was nothing more than a jump off for Michael, and many of the antics going on at her place like the alcohol and drug fueled parties, running around “joinking”, and the nude streaking was a desperate effort on her part to gain Michael Johnson’s favor. This perception is simply a matter of public opinion, but why else would Deena tolerate her live-in boyfriend to come on to her kid sister and permit him to continue to come around the apartment? Johnson’s history of disloyalty to Deena Barnes should have culminated once she learned that he fooled around on her and fathered a child with her friend. It’s simply not convincing that the last straw was when he tried to come on to Phylicia. Deena testified that streaking incident occurred around June 13, 2010, but later said she and Johnson moved to a new apartment in late June, creating an obvious conflict which disputes she had finally had it with Michael Johnson. Parts of her testimony are inconsistent, but she went on to tell the court that after the trip during which the video was filmed, Phylicia returned to Baltimore just weeks later around the Fourth of July. She had ditched a college visit in southern Virginia, saying falsely that her mother had given her approval. Phylicia and Deena got tattoos on their legs; Deena Barnes’ was a honey drop. Phylicia got a rose tattoo which later would be important in identifying her decomposing body. Phylicia returned again during Christmas break. Johnson no longer lived in the apartment after Barnes asked him to move out, creating another conflict, because the day Johnson allegedly last saw the teen Michael was suppose to be moving from the apartment, and clearly demonstrating that he hadn’t actually moved. Barnes testified that on Dec. 28, 2010, Michael Johnson sent her a text message asking if they could get back together. “It’s not too late to work things out,” it read. Barnes said she did not respond.
Barnes laid out the following sequence of events for the rest of the day:
•She left for work in the morning, with Johnson’s younger brother Dylane Davis asleep in her bed with Phylicia. Davis testified last week that Johnson showed up at the apartment and took him back to his house because Davis didn’t have their parents’ permission to be there.
•Barnes texted Phylicia from work, the last message coming at 12:23 p.m., when they talked about getting Phylicia’s hair done. Around the same time, Barnes was on the phone with Johnson. At 12:30 p.m., a message posted to Phylicia’s Facebook page said she was hungry.
•Later, Johnson told Barnes that “little sis” had awoken and asked if Dylane could come back over. Davis testified last week that he returned to an empty apartment around 1 or 2 p.m.. Loud music was playing, something the group did to ward off intruders if someone without a key was going to leave the door unlocked behind them.
•In the afternoon, Barnes tried to call Johnson, whose phone was off, and got his voice mail. He later texted that his phone died and that Phylicia had fallen asleep again. “LOL,” the message reads.
•At 3:30 p.m., he phoned Barnes — in a call she described as “random” — and said he didn’t feel like going to work that day. Johnson was to have worked a 3-to-11-p.m. shift.
•Sometime around 5 p.m., he texted Barnes that “sis is up and active.”
When Barnes returned home from work around 6 p.m., Phylicia was gone, so she called several people, including Johnson. He didn’t pick up, but text that his phone was dying and that he was busy moving things. She asked him when he last saw Phylicia, and he eventually responded around 8 p.m., saying that he saw her at 1:30 p.m. “Is everything OK?” he asked. When Barnes said she was going to call police, he replied, “Keep me informed.”
This is where everything got very cloudy with rumors of Phylicia having gone to get food, an aspect of the case I’m sure will be go over with more extensive detail once the defense began to call witnesses. On cross examination the defense tried to create reasonable doubt by inferring that Deena herself may have had some issues with Phylicia, and possibly regarding her interaction with Michael. Defense Attorney Bates said Barnes called the police before conducting her own search, didn’t check Phylicia’s Facebook page, and delayed telling Phylicia’s mother what was happening. Johnson didn’t help with further search efforts, though he was instructed to stay away because emotions were running high, according to testimony. The defense challenged Deena Barnes’ story, questioning her actions after realizing her sister was missing and raising doubts about whether she had a reason to be upset with Phylicia. Bates noted that Barnes told police investigators that Johnson was never violent during their relationship, and that she had never had any qualms about Phylicia being around him. They also sought to paint Phylicia not as an innocent teenager who wouldn’t have left her sister’s apartment on her own, but as a rebellious girl who was allowed to act as an adult when in Baltimore and who befriended strangers on social media in an obvious attempt by the defense to introduce reasonable doubt that Phylicia Barnes may have wondered off with friends she met on line and subsequently was murdered by someone else, not Michael Johnson. This tragic story continues as we the quest for justice in the Phylicia Simone Barnes murder case heads toward day 3. We are still praying for this precious child and her family.
Sources:
Baltimore Sun
Justin Fenton on Twitter
Joy Lepola Stewart of Fox 45
The Peoples Champion
I’m David Adams
I have the transcript from the “Peas In Their Pods” interview with Deena, Kelly, and Bryan Barnes as they talked about the disappearance of their kid sister Phylicia Barnes on a Internet Radio Broadcast about Missing Children. I have it, and part of the transcript from that broadcast is right here:
Jan DB, you can answer this or not. There has been reports on the news that you had said that PB was drinking alcohol and smoking pot the night before. Is that true or can you say?
DB That is not true.
Peas Thank you for clearing that up. That is something a lot of people have heard and believe. so your account is she was in yoru home and that is not what she was doing.
(Minute 27)
DB Right.
Jan Thank you DB.
DB I have actually, because of those accusations, I have requested that I be given a drug test. I have taken it, and we are awaiting the results, but I am positive that I passed it. The results aren’t back yet though.
Peas That’s on record. You did not observe those types of behavior, nor did you engage in them. That’s on the record. Moving on from that…
I was certain that I hadn’t misinterpret the discussion on “Peas” that night, but today in open court Deena Barnes ghost revealed themselves to the world as she testified that she had in fact given her baby sister alcohol and marijuana one night in June of 2010, after months of denying, lying, and being deceitful regarding the activities occurring at her home while Phylicia was there. Phylicia Barnes’ mother Janice Mustafa told TPC in a previous interview that she confronted Deena about these allegations after a close friend of her daughter revealed to her that Phylicia had been allowed to drink vodka, and smoke pot while visiting Baltimore. There were so many people who attacked the grieving mom, called her crazy, and even said some horrible things about her on social media. When prosecutors called deena Barnes as their only witness on day two of the trial, revelations of the alcohol and marijuana rumors were proven to have been true, while Deena Barnes wiped away tears at times in court today. Deena told the court that Phylicia Simone Barnes was a beautiful person, bubbly, funny, smart, loving and caring.” Despite their 11-year age difference, she described Phylicia as “my best friend.” State Attorney Lisa Goldberg hammered Deena Barnes regarding the sex tape (which is actually turning out to be nothing more that kissing and naked touching between the individuals captured on the recording) when the sex tape was played for the jurors, which was a 16-minute video they said depicted Deena Barnes and Johnson, along with Phylicia and Johnson’s younger brother Glenton Michael Johnson (not Dylane Davis as previously reported) kissing and “nakedly” touching after leaving a June 2010 party on a dare that they go streaking together. Deena Barnes dabbed her eyes with a tissue, acknowledging that her teenage sister, on that night and others, became intoxicated, smoked marijuana and spent the night in the same room with boys. As Deena described these events I couldn’t image what was going through Janice Mustafa’ mind, because she has continuously publicly stated that she had a lengthy discussion with Deena regarding her expectations of supervision while Phylicia was in Baltimore. Attorney Goldberg asked Deena “what were you thinking at the time?” “I wasn’t,” said Barnes, as her voice lowered and a swoop of hair covered her right eye. Deena also testified that on the night of the party which included 7-8 people, Johnson made a dare for someone to go streaking, and young Phylicia took him up on it. They all ran to a local school playground and stripped nude. Deena Barnes testified that it was her phone that the sex tape was recorded on. Deena went on to describe a game called “joinking” that they would play, in which Deena and the defendant Michael Johnson would grab each other’s private parts. Deena said the phone the video was recorded on belonged to her, and that she and Phylicia were both drunk. While they all ran around nude Johnson is depicted in the tape kissing and fondling Deena, but prosecutors allege that Johnson was watching Deena’ baby sister Phylicia. According to Deena, Phylicia was also seen grabbing the defendant’s penis in the “joinking” game, but this couldn’t be verified because the big screen T.V. was facing the jurors, and turned away from spectators in the court room. However, when the tape was played in court voices could be heard giggling and joking, followed by periods of silence during which kissing noises were audible. At one point, the man filming on Deena Barnes’ cell phone remarks that he’s been “left out,” and Deena Barnes confirms for the court by later testifying that Phylicia is shown on the tape playfully grabbing Johnson’s penis. Much of what Deena testified to today for the most part isn’t that much of a shock to many followers of the case. There was wide spread suspicion from the beginning when the child’s siblings gave an interview on “Peas In Their Pods”. Deena Barnes only confirmed the lies she told many have suspected all along. Deena further testified that she later saw Phylicia and Michael Johnson together in her apartment’s bathroom, with Johnson tending to the girl’s knee. From the bedroom, Barnes said, she saw Johnson reach for the girl’s genitals. She laughed and pushed his hand away, said Barnes, who testified that she was disturbed by the interaction and confronted Johnson about it. “I asked him, did he just try to touch my sister. He said no,” Barnes testified. She asked him again, then asked Phylicia about it. Deena Barnes said she considered calling their father, but worried that he might forbid his daughters to spend time together. “I was scared,” she testified. “Scared of not being able to see Phylicia anymore. I thought she wouldn’t be able to come around anymore.” The jury is still out in the court of public opinion regarding Deena’s candur about being afraid she wouldn’t see Phylicia again if she had told her dad Russell Barnes. In fact just about everyone who has been following this case more than likely are dumb founded as to why Deena never took more proactive measures to deter Michael Johnson from being able to make a pass at her baby sister ever again. She testified that she actually observed him when he attempted to touch the child’s genitalia, but only questioned him about it. I think it’s safe to say that the average woman around Deena’s age if presented with a similar situation probably would have put Michael out, ended their relationship on the spot, and just may have called the cops considering Phylicia was a minor. Deena admitted that her relationship with Johnson, who was her live-in boyfriend, and whom she had been dating for 10 years was troubled. She testified that her relationship with him was effectively over by 2010, even though they continued to live together, and even moved into a new apartment together around June of 2010. Her testimony related to the Johnson relationship has been called under the fire also. There is a perception that Michael never really cared about Deena Barnes, but simply used her. Deena never testified about the cause for her rocky relationship with Michael, but social media has been buzzing the last two years about Michael Johnson sleeping around on Deena, and even fathered a child by a former friend of Deena Barnes, name Tabitha Fickling. It’s been widely believed with the public that Deena Barnes was nothing more than a jump off for Michael, and many of the antics going on at her place like the alcohol and drug fueled parties, running around “joinking”, and the nude streaking was a desperate effort on her part to gain Michael Johnson’s favor. This perception is simply a matter of public opinion, but why else would Deena tolerate her live-in boyfriend to come on to her kid sister and permit him to continue to come around the apartment? Johnson’s history of disloyalty to Deena Barnes should have culminated once she learned that he fooled around on her and fathered a child with her friend. It’s simply not convincing that the last straw was when he tried to come on to Phylicia. Deena testified that streaking incident occurred around June 13, 2010, but later said she and Johnson moved to a new apartment in late June, creating an obvious conflict which disputes she had finally had it with Michael Johnson. Parts of her testimony are inconsistent, but she went on to tell the court that after the trip during which the video was filmed, Phylicia returned to Baltimore just weeks later around the Fourth of July. She had ditched a college visit in southern Virginia, saying falsely that her mother had given her approval. Phylicia and Deena got tattoos on their legs; Deena Barnes’ was a honey drop. Phylicia got a rose tattoo which later would be important in identifying her decomposing body. Phylicia returned again during Christmas break. Johnson no longer lived in the apartment after Barnes asked him to move out, creating another conflict, because the day Johnson allegedly last saw the teen Michael was suppose to be moving from the apartment, and clearly demonstrating that he hadn’t actually moved. Barnes testified that on Dec. 28, 2010, Michael Johnson sent her a text message asking if they could get back together. “It’s not too late to work things out,” it read. Barnes said she did not respond.
Barnes laid out the following sequence of events for the rest of the day:
•She left for work in the morning, with Johnson’s younger brother Dylane Davis asleep in her bed with Phylicia. Davis testified last week that Johnson showed up at the apartment and took him back to his house because Davis didn’t have their parents’ permission to be there.
•Barnes texted Phylicia from work, the last message coming at 12:23 p.m., when they talked about getting Phylicia’s hair done. Around the same time, Barnes was on the phone with Johnson. At 12:30 p.m., a message posted to Phylicia’s Facebook page said she was hungry.
•Later, Johnson told Barnes that “little sis” had awoken and asked if Dylane could come back over. Davis testified last week that he returned to an empty apartment around 1 or 2 p.m.. Loud music was playing, something the group did to ward off intruders if someone without a key was going to leave the door unlocked behind them.
•In the afternoon, Barnes tried to call Johnson, whose phone was off, and got his voice mail. He later texted that his phone died and that Phylicia had fallen asleep again. “LOL,” the message reads.
•At 3:30 p.m., he phoned Barnes — in a call she described as “random” — and said he didn’t feel like going to work that day. Johnson was to have worked a 3-to-11-p.m. shift.
•Sometime around 5 p.m., he texted Barnes that “sis is up and active.”
When Barnes returned home from work around 6 p.m., Phylicia was gone, so she called several people, including Johnson. He didn’t pick up, but text that his phone was dying and that he was busy moving things. She asked him when he last saw Phylicia, and he eventually responded around 8 p.m., saying that he saw her at 1:30 p.m. “Is everything OK?” he asked. When Barnes said she was going to call police, he replied, “Keep me informed.”
This is where everything got very cloudy with rumors of Phylicia having gone to get food, an aspect of the case I’m sure will be go over with more extensive detail once the defense began to call witnesses. On cross examination the defense tried to create reasonable doubt by inferring that Deena herself may have had some issues with Phylicia, and possibly regarding her interaction with Michael. Defense Attorney Bates said Barnes called the police before conducting her own search, didn’t check Phylicia’s Facebook page, and delayed telling Phylicia’s mother what was happening. Johnson didn’t help with further search efforts, though he was instructed to stay away because emotions were running high, according to testimony. The defense challenged Deena Barnes’ story, questioning her actions after realizing her sister was missing and raising doubts about whether she had a reason to be upset with Phylicia. Bates noted that Barnes told police investigators that Johnson was never violent during their relationship, and that she had never had any qualms about Phylicia being around him. They also sought to paint Phylicia not as an innocent teenager who wouldn’t have left her sister’s apartment on her own, but as a rebellious girl who was allowed to act as an adult when in Baltimore and who befriended strangers on social media in an obvious attempt by the defense to introduce reasonable doubt that Phylicia Barnes may have wondered off with friends she met on line and subsequently was murdered by someone else, not Michael Johnson. This tragic story continues as we the quest for justice in the Phylicia Simone Barnes murder case heads toward day 3. We are still praying for this precious child and her family.
Sources:
Baltimore Sun
Justin Fenton on Twitter
Joy Lepola Stewart of Fox 45
The Peoples Champion
I’m David Adams
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Deena should have been charged also! Why is she able to walk away free with all the evidence in her phone? she knew Michael wanted Phylicia and she set the whole scene up. I said this in one of my comments months ago that they both wanted Phylicia and I believe Deena set the whole thing up,but didnt know the outcome would be murder… I’m not fully satisfied with Deena not serving time too!