Man found guilty in murder of NC teen Phylicia Barnes

A man was convicted in the murder of North Carolina teen Phylicia Barnes, whose body was found in a river in Maryland.

A jury in Baltimore found Michael Johnson, 28, guilty of second-degree murder Wednesday. Investigators said the 16-year-old Barnes, from Monroe, North Carolina, was visiting relatives in Baltimore, Maryland, when she disappeared on Dec. 28, 2010.

Her body was found a few months later in the Susquehanna River, in Cecil County, Maryland.

Johnson was arrested and charged with her murder a year later.

According to the Baltimore Sun, the jury acquitted Johnson on the initial charge of first-degree murder. But they decided to find him guilty of second-degree murder on Wednesday, which could mean up to 30 years in prison.

Johnson was the boyfriend of Barne's older half-sister. His sentencing hearing was scheduled to be held on March 20.