the man convicted of strangling 16-year-old felicia barnes wants a new trial. her attorney -- his attorneys feel that the verdict should be thrown out. abc 2 news' kristin schaefer is here to explain why. >>reporter: he faces 30 years in prison for killing 16-year- old felicia barnes, now michael johnson is pinning his hopes for a new trial on this man, james mccray. during the trial mccray, a convicted criminal testified that he saw felicia barnes' body in michael johnson's apartment, that johnson admitted to raping the teen and even that johnson asked him how to get rid of the body. after the trial johnson's defense attorneys said they believe without mccray's testimony the state could not have convicted michael johnson. >> despite his incredible testimony that was just all over the place, wrong date, wrong time, wrong apartment. >>reporter: their motion for a new trial also claims that prosecutors improperly emphasized that testimony during their closing arguments, saying "the state on three separate occasions was able to argue fact that is were not introduc

michael johnsonguilty for killing felicia barnes. her aunt with quivering lips. >> it's been a long time coming. i have forgiveness in my heart for michael johnson. >> hugs and tears and prayers, how does a mother explain her emotions this day after months of missing her daughter ends up dead. >> the elephant took one foot off my chest so i can breathe a little bit now. >> we will never forget felicia saes smile or in the courtroom today when michael johnson turned to his attorney and said i'm numb when the vishth was read or his father. >> it is what it is and we still feel that michael l johnson is not guilty. >> both families say it wasn't supposed to end like this. notin a courthouse in baltimore. in the end, the barnes family thanked the city prosecutor but in the end, both families admit the pain will never end. . >> and new at 11:00 tonight justice for another killing from north carolina. margaret joneshas pleaded guilty f of contacting a girl online and bringing her to maryland where they sexually abused her and posted videos

prosecutors say michael johnson killed felicia barnes in 2010 while visiting her family in baltimore.murder. he faces up to 30 years in prison. >>> there are new details in the shandra levy case. levy went missing 2001. >>> a guilty plea from a virginia man accused of a shooting at the family council research center last summer. >> the man says his plan was to kill as many employees of the conservative lobbying group as possible. here's more. >> reporter: according to the government's evidence the man spent days planning for the attack. first conducting sr. lance seeing if he can get in the building. bought magazinings and chik-fil- a sandwiches he planned to smear in the faces of the victims, but the guard in the lobby was too guard for the suspect. johnson held the suspect until police arrived. "i don't like these people and i don't like what they stand for. h he admitted in court his plan was to gun down employees at the family add have cassie council and go to another council to do the same thing. leo johnson is back at work. >> leo is back and doing great. >> reporter: our reques

. >>> new this evening, the attorneys for the maryland man convicted in the murder of felicia barns want a new trial. they filed a new motion saying prosecutors made improper statements to the youry and withheld evidence. early -- to the jury and withheld evident. the 16-year-old teen was killed in 2010 while visiting in baltimore and her body was found in the susquehanna river a month later. johnson was dating the sister at the time and faces up to 30 years in prison. >>> prince georges county department of parks and recreation announced it's banning gun shows indefinitely and that will affect shows on county-owned land and as a result, the silverado gun show had to cancel the event this past weekend. >>> today, president obama reiterated the dramatic losses over the looming sequestration. from the white house, he ordered republicans to accept a proposal put forth by senate democrats last week and that calls forgetting rid of corporate tax breaks and the tax millionaires at a rate of 30%. if a compromise is not met, there will be drastic interruptions and vital services. >> air traffic

hours the jury will begin a third day of deliberations in the trial of a man accused of killing felicia barnes. yesterday the jury asked to watch a videotape of the -- from the state that they showed earlier in the trial. the state says michael johnson killed barnes, then put her body in a container and dumped it in the susquehanna river. his lawyers insist the state never proved a motive. stay with abc 2 news for continuing coverage. abc 2 news' brian cubeler has been in court since the trial started. you can always follow him on twitter and his handle it right there. he will let you know, we will let you know as soon as the jury makes a decision, either on twitter, facebook or on abc2news.com. >>> well, a florida woman's attitude to a judge in miami landed her behind bars. penelope soto is charged with possession of xanax. when the judge sentenced her, she wasn't exactly pleased. take a look at what follows. >> count one will be $10,000. >> are you serious? >> [ indiscernable ] [ bleep ] >> come back again. >> not done yet. she came back and the judge gave her 30 days in jail on top of the f

. >>> the man convicted of strangling 16-year-old felicia barnes wants a new trial. a motion filed by michael johnson's attorneys list a number of improper actions taken by the prosecution. if that motion for a new trial is denied, the next step will be sentencing for johnson. 30 years is the maximum for second-degree murder. the conviction that he did receive. and the murder trial for the man authorities say carried out one of the most calculated violent crime waves in maryland's history is now being delayed. opening statements were supposed to begin yesterday as prosecutors try to prove that jason scott murdered a mother and daughter back in 2009. however, authorities say a witness related to the family tried to kill herself by walking into oncoming traffic. >>> and the teen who shot a classmate on the first day of school at perry hall high school struck a plea deal and will be sentenced next week. robert gladden, jr. pleaded guilty to attempted murder and the judge agreed to the plea and the maximum sentence of 40 years. >>> a $7,000 reward is being offered to hel

today for the jury deciding the michael johnson case and whether or not he killed 16- year-old felicia barnes. late yesterday afternoon the jury asked to watch a videotape from the state showing -- showed earlier in the trial. the state says johnson killed barnes and put her body in a container and dumped that container in the susquehanna river. his lawyers insist that the state never proved a motive in this case. >>> a man accused of shooting a security guard at the family research council in d.c. is due back in court today. lawyers will again discuss a plea deal in the case. the 28-year-old originally pleaded fot guilty to the charges against him. the shooting happened last august and the guard who broke up that shooting survived the incident. >>> 5:35 right now. a rally in annapolis today for gun rights. members of the community will demonstrate their concerns for preserving citizens' constitutional rights to keep and bear arms. this rally starts at 11:00 this morning. governor o'malley has already expressed interest in making stricter gun laws in our state. >>> news around the nation this

. >>> jurors are still trying to come up with a verdict in the felicia barnes murder trial. day three of deliberations will begin this morning. jurors got the case on monday and spent yesterday going over all the evidence. late in the afternoon they asked to watch two videotapes the state showed earlier in the trial. jurors wanted to see surveillance video from wal- mart of the defendant, michael johnson, buying a plastic tub. they also rewatched that infamous sex tape involving involving johnson, barnes and two other people. the state says johnson killed barnes and dumped her body in the susquehanna river. his attorneys say they never proved motive. stay with abc 2 news. brian will be in the courtroom and bring you the verdict as soon as it comes down. you can follow him on twitter for all the latest information. >>> well, this morning police are still trying to figure out what led to a deadly stabbing, the victims, three teenagers between the ages of 15 and 16. now, this happened around 1:30 yesterday afternoon in downtown baltimore just as the raven's victory celebration

. >>> he faces 30 years in jail for killing felicia barnes. why michael johnson says he deserves a second trial. >>> plus snowy roads made for one heck of a commute on one interstate. we'll show you this pileup. >>> it's february 20th, i'm charley crowson. >> i'm megan pringle. it's an exciting day here on "good morning maryland," robin roberts returns to the set of gma. we'll have more on that in a bit. >>> but, first, let's find out about the weather as you head out the door. >> good morning, you two. a lot of streamers hitting this morning, a lot of this not touching the ground. some of you will see some of it. i'll tell you about that in a second. let's start with the temperatures because that's the big story along with the winds. temperature 25 degrees now in westminster. look at the sustained wind out of the northwest at about 12 miles an hour, making this 25 feel more like we're in the teens this morning. do bundle up as you head out the door. we're seeing more of the same in clarksville, and with the winds out of the northwest at about

. >>> a man convicted of strangling 16-year-old felicia barnes wants a new trial. a motion filed by michael johnson's attorneys list a number of what they call improper actions taken by the prosecution, many of them involve the state's key witness, james mccray. mccray testified that he saw barnes' body in johnson's apartment, that johnson admitted to raping the teenager and even asked how to get rid of that body. the motion claims that prosecutors improperly emphasized that testimony during their closing arguments. >>> time now for five things to know on this wednesday morning, secretary of state john kerry will make his first major speech today. kerry is scheduled to take the stage at the university of virginia where he's going to focus on foreign policy. his address will be the first in a series he's principalling to give to audience -- he's planning to give to audiences. >>> vice president joe biden will host a medal of valor ceremony this afternoon. the medal of valor ceremony and the awards are given to public safety officers and show courage in the attempts

michael johnson accused of murders teenager felicia barns. they granted a motion by johnson's attorneys to dismiss the case. he expressed concern about the state's evidence in the case which the defense says relies heavily on a career criminal that witness claimed that johnson call the day of the murder looking for help getting rid of felicia's body. there is no phone record to confirm that story. >> the council has 30-days to replace john county council members saw it as the right thing to do. >> it was a troubling set of circumstances on the threshold of opportunities to do some very good things. >> leopold's permanent departure comes because he used police officers to do campaign work and used county employees for personal business like emptying urine from his catheter bag. the judge called leopold's actions outrageous. in a resignation letter leopold said quote i acknowledge the serious errors in judgment that i made and do not want this to further distract the county from moving forward in a positive way. we wanted to see if he would ela

. >> it is day two of deliberations in the murder trial of felicia bond -- felicia barnes.irst thing the jury as he was one of the most controversial pieces of evidence. let's go live to courthouse east for the latest. >> jurors may be the only people in town who actually worked all day. they did have to go back into the courtroom this afternoon and no, they were not delivering a verdict. they did want to see for a second time the so-called sex tape which shows the victim and the defendant playfully being into meant about six months before she died. prosecutors said in their closing arguments that something was sparked the night the video shot that is a grown man thinking about a 16-year-old girl. jurors are working to decide whether michael johnson is guilty of first or second-degree murder. johnson is the ex-boyfriend of the girl's boyfriend. prosecutors are trying to convince jurors that he killed her and got the body into the river. you will recall her body was recovered four months after she disappeared. the case is largely circumstantial and relies on the testimony of

. >> the loose ends in the felicia barnes case. is a key witness an accessory?> several units of an apartment building in jersey city, new jersey are on fire. officials say all 12 residents inside at the time were able to get out on injured, but three firefighters suffered minor back and head injuries when they slipped on ice that formed after the house was sprayed with water. of former los angeles policeman has gone on a murderous rampage and is now threatening all law enforcement officers in southern california. the a former lapd officer christopher dorner is accused of three dup murders in southern california. he has brought "warfare" to the department after being fired. he owned several weapons including an assault rifle. >> the dreamliner jet made its first flight after two weeks on the ground. after a paint job in dallas, boeing got permission to return the plane to washington state, where the ntsb announced a breakthrough in the investigation of battery fires. >> this investigation has revealed that a short circuit in a secret -- a single cell can propaga

. >> after days of testimony, it is the defense's turn to take the reins in the felicia barnes murderase. >> could dickies be weaker there law >> i've, local, late breaking. -- >> live. are watching wbal-tv 11 news this damn stovall, donna hamilton, chief meteorologist tom tasselmyer and sky team 11 covering breaking news relive. wbal-tv 11 news at 5:00 p.m. continues now. >> the state is resting in the murder case after calling 33 witnesses. they're wrapped up their case today against michael johnson, the man accused of killing north carolina teenager barnes. >> the judge expressed great concern. jayne miller joins us live up to circuit court downtown. the the prosecution in trouble? -- is the prosecution in trouble? >> the judge expressed concern and nearly threw the case out about an hour ago. this concern is about the evidence in the case, or the lack thereof. it relies heavily on the word of a career criminal who testified that michael johnson called him on the day that barnes does appear to help him get rid of the body. there is no telephone records to confirm that account. also

felicia barns disappeared in 2010 while visiting relatives during a trip from north carolina.ater, her body was found in the susquehanna river. michael johnson is accused in her death. he raped her inside the apartment, killed her and ditched the body in the river. no one saw him do it and there was no motive for the crime. >>> a judge denied zimmerman's request to have more time to prepare for his upcoming murder trial. where's accused of killing treyvon martin. he claims he shot the 17-year- old in self-defense and the trial benins -- begins in four months. today would have been his 15th -- 18th birthday. >>> a general went on a joy ride this weekend when she decided to go see her dad. she took her mom's bmw while she was sleeping and hit the road. well, the little girl doesn't make it far and made it about a mile from home and ended up crashing into soram -- several cars. i stepped behind the tree and she hit the curb here and took off and i was looking at her. i was like stop, stop, stop. >> and thankfully no one was hurt and she did get to see her dad. he came to pick her

michael johnson is accused in the 2010 killing of felicia barnes. when she disappeared. her body was found in the spring of 2011. >>> police are still looking for a suspect in the stabbing death of a teenager. the incident happened around 1:30 yesterday on howard and fayette streets. this was nine blocks away from m and t bank stadium. that teen died at johns hopkins hospital. two others were stabbed. they've also been hospitalized. >>> time now for a check on your weather. let's send it over to meteorologist lynette charles and see what's going on as you walk out the door. hey, lynette displvment hey. let's talk about what's going on in mount airy. we do have some clouds out there this morning. that is going to subside later this morning and into the afternoon. we will have high pressure build in across the area. but it might take a little while. right now temperatures are above average, 35 degrees in reisterstown, we should be in the 20s now. 36 degrees in glen burnie and centreville coming in at 33 degrees. the planner for today, well, the high t

the prostitution res-- prosecut rests test case against the murder of felicia barns. granted a motion to dismiss the case on friday. the judge expressed concern about the state's evidence in the case which the defense says relies heavily on the testimony of a career criminal. johnson called the day of the murder looking for help to get rid of felicia's body. there is no phone records to confirm this story. the council has 30-days to replace john leopold who resigned as county executive friday. it came three-days after leopold was convicted in august. it was set to vote on monday on ousting leopold from office. he ex pretpressed interest in >> we started with sunshine and temperatures in the teens. there are clouds south of the city. beautiful sunrise this morning down there. clouds up around punxsutawney pennsylvania. see what happens with the groundhog. a little weather disturbance. another one of these clirps out to the west along the ohio river valley. tonight we expect that to come through with a chance for light snow. then there is more out to the west from that