Woman Charged with Second Degree Murder

A 24-year-old man died after a stabbing early Wednesday in the Oakhurst neighborhood, according to the Cornelius Police Department.

Hooks

Officers responded at 12:39 a.m. to an apartment at 18711 Ruffner Drive, Unit 1E, where they found a man suffering from a stab wound. The victim, identified as Demetri McGruder, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police arrested Makayla Hooks and charged her with second-degree murder. She was taken to the Mecklenburg County Jail and is being held without bond.

Multiple posts on Hooks’ Facebook page show the two were engaged in November 2025.

According to online county records, Hooks was also arrested March 17 in Mecklenburg County on charges of misdemeanor simple assault and domestic violence, and was released on a $5,000 bond. WBTV reported that the case involved McGruder.