The Baltimore County Courtroom Observer

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K. Stokes

Baltimore County, Maryland

Nurse Details Injuries in Baltimore County Rape and Strangulation Trial

TOWSON—A nurse who examined Michael Johnson’s former girlfriend after an alleged rape and strangulation detailed in court Wednesday numerous bruises and other injuries the young woman sustained in the assault. A ripped toenail. Burst blood vessels in her eyes. Tiny telltale spots on the skin of her neck

Teen Gets 75 Years After Refusing to Testify in Violent Pikesville Carjacking Case

Teen Gets 75 Years After Refusing to Testify in Violent Pikesville Carjacking Case

Reginald Belton made a deal. The 19-year-old agreed to cooperate and testify against his co-defendant in a brutal armed carjacking case that seriously injured an elderly woman and her daughter. In return, prosecutors would only ask for a 25-year prison sentence in his case. But when

Woman Gives Graphic Testimony in Baltimore County Rape and Strangulation Trial

TOWSON — Jurors on Tuesday listened to hours of often tense and graphic testimony from the young woman at the center of a rape and attempted murder trial in Baltimore County. The alleged victim, now 21, recounted her meeting with Michael Johnson, 42, of York, Pennsylvania, and their dating relationship that

Teens Plead in Rodgers Forge Shooting, Face Decades in Prison Under Deal

Teens Plead in Rodgers Forge Shooting, Face Decades in Prison Under Deal

The teens charged in a 2024 armed robbery and shooting of a Rodgers Forge man both entered pleas Monday, accepting responsibility for the crime. Kai Wilson and Kamar Thompson, both now 17, entered Alford pleas to charges related to the Sept. 13, 2024, shooting of Mark McKenzie. An Alford plea

Man Acquitted in Phylicia Barnes Case to Stand Trial in Baltimore County Rape, Strangulation Case

Man Acquitted in Phylicia Barnes Case to Stand Trial in Baltimore County Rape, Strangulation Case

Michael Johnson was previously the primary suspect in the 2010 killing of 16-year-old Phylicia Barnes in Baltimore but was ultimately acquitted after multiple trials. A man once charged in one of Baltimore’s most high-profile unsolved killings is set to stand trial this week in an unrelated

Teens in Rodgers Forge Shooting Case Expected to Plead Guilty Monday as Trial Was Set to Begin

The two teens charged in a 2024 Rodgers Forge shooting and attempted armed robbery are expected to plead guilty Monday, when their case was scheduled to go to trial. Kai Wilson and Kamar Thompson, both now 17 years old, are charged as adults with attempted first-degree murder, attempted armed

Parents of Slain Parkville Teen Sue Man Accused of Orchestrating Deadly Drug Deal

Parents of Slain Parkville Teen Sue Man Accused of Orchestrating Deadly Drug Deal

The parents of a murdered Parkville teen have filed a wrongful death civil lawsuit in Baltimore County against the man who orchestrated the drug deal that led to their son’s killing. Bryson Butterfly, 21, is serving a 20-year sentence for a conviction of conspiracy to commit armed robbery