Charlotte Man Convicted Of Murder And Robbery Is Sentenced To Life In Prison

CHARLOTTE, N.C. –Damarcus Donte Ivey, 36, of Charlotte, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Max O. Cogburn, Jr. to life in prison, announced R. Andrew Murray, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.  A federal jury convicted Ivey in April 2017 of Hobbs Act robbery and committing murder while using and possessing a firearm during and in furtherance of the robbery.

U.S. Attorney Murray is joined in making today’s announcement by John A. Strong, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Charlotte Division; Wayne Dixie, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Charlotte Field Division; and Chief Kerr Putney of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department.

According to court documents, witness testimony, evidence presented at Ivey’s trial, and today’s sentencing hearing:

On September 10, 2009, Ivey and Kevin Bishop robbed Club Nikki’s, located at 3001 Little Rock Road, in Charlotte.  Over the course of the robbery, Ivey and Bishop pointed guns at the club’s patrons and staff, ordered them on the floor, and took personal items from the patrons and cash from the club.  Trial evidence showed Ivey take items from the male victim before he fired a shot that killed him.  Ivey and Bishop then fled the scene in a Ford F-150.  Six minutes after the initial 9-1-1 call, a CMPD officer observed Ivey and Bishop exiting I-85 onto Beatties Ford Road.  A chase ensued that ended in a vehicle crash and Ivey and Bishop attempted to flee on foot from CMPD officers.  Both men were apprehended within minutes and were found in possession of proceeds from the robbery.  Inside the Ford F-150, officers located the wallet of one of the club’s patrons and $355 in cash scattered about the floorboard.

Ivey is currently in federal custody and will be transferred to the custody of the federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility.  All federal sentences are served without the possibility of parole. Kevin Bishop was convicted on state charges in 2014 and was given a 16-20 year sentence for his role in the robbery.

In making today’s announcement, U.S. Attorney Murray commended CMPD, the FBI, and ATF for their investigation of the case and thanked the Mecklenburg County District Attorney’s Office for their cooperation.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Craig Randall and William Bozin of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte prosecuted the case.