Defendant in killing at Club Nikki’s now faces federal charges

A Charlotte man facing a second trial next year in connection with a 2009 shooting death at Club Nikki’s now faces federal charges in the case.

A federal grand jury in Charlotte this week returned a two-count indictment charging Demarcus Ivey, 34, with Hobbs Act robbery and use of a firearm during a crime resulting in death, acting U.S. Attorney Jill Westmoreland Rose said Wednesday.

“Given the factors and circumstances of this case, Ivey’s federal prosecution will best meet the ends of justice,” Rose said in a news release.

In 2009, Ivey was charged with murder in the death of Adrian Youngblood, who was fatally shot during a robbery at Club Nikki’s, a west Charlotte strip club. Youngblood was a patron at the club, police have said. But an 11-week trial on capital-murder charges ended in a mistrial last year when one juror refused to convict Ivey in Youngblood’s death.

Mecklenburg prosecutors announced they would retry Ivey, but won’t seek the death penalty this time. If Ivey is found guilty of first-degree murder, he’d receive a mandatory life sentence without parole.

Contacted Wednesday morning, Assistant District Attorney Bill Stetzer, head of District Attorney Andrew Murray’s homicide team, said his office “will coordinate with federal prosecutors regarding the disposition of the state charges pending the outcome in Ivey's federal prosecution.”

Murray joined Rose and other federal and local officials in announcing the new federal charges.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Kerr Putney said the indictment “sends a very strong message to those who engage in violent criminal activity.

“The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department and our partner agencies will continue to be steadfast in our focus to keep the community safe,” Putney said in the news release from the U.S. District Attorney.

The federal robbery offense carries a maximum 20 years in prison. The firearms charge carries up to life in prison.

Ivey was in the Mecklenburg County jail early Wednesday. He will be transferred to the custody of U.S. marshals to appear in court on the federal charges, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.

Staff Writer Mike Gordon contributed.

This story was originally published October 21, 2015 at 10:10 AM with the headline "Defendant in killing at Club Nikki’s now faces federal charges."