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GREENSBORO — A Greensboro man denied in court this afternoon that he killed a grocery store owner during a November 2008 robbery.

“I’m not guilty,” Charles Antoine McKenzie, 36, said at a 2 p.m. arraignment when a judge asked if he had anything to say in response to a charge of first-degree murder. McKenzie, of 200 Spring Garden St., Apt. 1608, was arrested Wednesday during a traffic stop in connection with the death of 29-year-old Mohammed “Mike” Ali, a co-owner of Red Mike Grocery.

Guilford County District Court Judge Betty Brown assigned McKenzie an attorney from the state's Capital Defenders Office.

McKenzie's sister, Terri Boulware, said after the hearing that the family is upset by the way police handled the arrest. Several family members, including Boulware, another brother and their elderly mother, were in the car at the time, she said.

“If they had been looking for him this long, they could have arrested him without my mother in the car,” she said.

Guilford County District Attorney Doug Henderson said earlier today his office has not made a decision yet on whether to pursue the death penalty against McKenzie.

“We generally review these first-degree cases where there are one or more aggravating factors that might make it capital,” he said. It likely will take a week to 10 days before that review occurs, he said.

Ali was killed when two men robbed the store at 600 N. Elm St. and shot him. It was about 9:30 a.m. on a Sunday as churchgoers went to services at the nearby First Presbyterian Church.

McKenzie is being held at the Guilford County jail in Greensboro without bond. The second robbery suspect remains at large.

Police are crediting excellent forensic work and tips from the public in Wednesday's arrest. Greensboro police Capt. Janice Rogers said McKenzie was arrested without incident at 4:45 p.m. during a traffic stop at Spring Garden and Fulton streets after officers spotted him in a car leaving the area during a routine search of his known hangouts.

McKenzie was linked to the case through forensic evidence taken from the crime scene and nearby Fisher Park, where residents notified police of clothing and a handgun found in the area shortly after the killing.

“I would say shortly after the incident occurred, we developed him as a viable suspect,” Rogers said. “A lot of the time (since) was spent just waiting on forensic evidence and ballistics to come back.”

Rogers said numerous tips from Crime Stoppers pointed homicide detectives to McKenzie as a suspect from the early stages of the investigation.

She said investigators received results of forensic tests that linked him to the crime almost three weeks ago.

Results of ballistics tests that matched the handgun detectives recovered came in on Wednesday, Rogers said.

“This was a senseless killing that should have never happened,” Rogers said. “I am thankful for the family and the citizens of Greensboro that we have this man in custody. Hopefully this will bring some closure to his family.”

Ali moved from Charlotte to Greensboro to open the store and was three credits away from a degree in computer science from UNC-Charlotte.

Ali, who was originally from Jerusalem, had planned to be married on Nov. 13, but was killed on Nov. 9.

His fiancee declined to comment Wednesday. Other family members could not be reached late Wednesday.

Moe Dajani, a close friend of Ali’s family, expressed relief that justice may be served.

“(Ali) did not deserve that,” Dajani said. “He tried to make it on his own and worked 16 hours a day. Someone like this destroyed his life and ruined everything. We hope he gets what he deserves.”

Red Mike Grocery closed earlier this spring. New owners plan to turn the store into a pizza restaurant.

The investigation into the case is ongoing, and police urge anyone who may have information about the second suspect to call Crime Stoppers at 373-1000. Callers remain anonymous and are eligible for a cash reward.

Staff writer Jennifer Fernandez contributed.

Contact Ryan Seals at 373-7077 or ryan.seals@news-record.com