NATCHEZ — Nearly a year ago Gregory Henderson was shot and killed at his residence in a drug deal gone bad. Now the Natchez Police Department investigators say they have the killer.

After a year of stakeouts, wiretaps and collaboration with other law enforcement agencies, Charles Rodgers Jr., 23, 104 Wisteria St., has been charged with murder. He was arrested Thursday and denied bail.

On Aug. 27, 2007, Henderson and three other men were reportedly selling marijuana from their residence at 105 Jackson St. Two unknown men reportedly came to buy the drugs and after an argument, one pulled a weapon. During the struggle that followed Henderson was killed. Another resident, David Smith, returned fire and was shot in the arm.

The Natchez Police Department has been working hard on solving the murder since August, Sgt. Craig Godbold said.

“My detectives have been working on this night and day for 10 months and all their good work is finally coming forward,” he said. “This was not a cold case.”

The case was made especially difficult because Rodgers was living in Dallas, Godbold said.

“He had left the state and that’s why we were using the FBI to track him,” Godbold said.

“We’ve gotten a lot of help from the FBI out of Jackson, Hattiesburg and Dallas.”

Rodgers reportedly knew that there was a warrant out for his arrest and was persuaded to come back to Natchez and turn himself in, Godbold said. Rodgers did not know the warrant was for murder charges.

The case does not end with Rodgers and the police are expecting to make more arrests soon, Godbold said.

“All the ends are coming together.”