A Roanoke grand jury on Monday indicted Jesse James Corbin Jr. on a charge of murder in the August death of George Rogers, a community fixture who gave his time and money to charities and neighbors in need.

Rogers, 89, was found beaten to death at his house in the 1300 block of Orange Avenue Northwest on Aug. 18.

Corbin, 20, of Roanoke was spotted driving Rogers' 1997 Ford Crown Victoria just hours after the man's body was discovered. Police initially charged Corbin with grand larceny, but that charge was dropped in September because prosecutors said it was too early to try the case while there was an ongoing murder investigation.

In addition to the murder charge, Corbin also was indicted Monday on charges of abduction, grand larceny, attempted robbery and three counts of using a firearm in commission of a felony.

He also was indicted on unrelated charges of statutory burglary and grand larceny. They stemmed from a domestic incident in September, said Roanoke police Lt. Danny Brabham. Corbin has been in custody at the Roanoke City Jail since that incident.

Brabham said police don't know exactly how many people may have had a hand in the slaying, but they believe it was more than one and expect to make more arrests.

Rogers' ex-wife, Clovis Rogers, praised police Monday for their diligent work on the case.

"Thank the Lord that they got him, because George Rogers didn't deserve any of that," she said. "He tried to help people."

Rogers was well-liked in his Northwest Roanoke neighborhood, where he would give less fortunate families cakes, doughnuts, bread and fruit.

He also volunteered weekly with RAM House, approving crisis applications, filling out checks and making phone calls.

After Rogers' death, RAM set up the George Rogers Fund for the Elderly. It will be used to help senior citizens with necessities such as rent, utilities and prescriptions.

The Rev. Carl Tinsley, Rogers' good friend, said the indictments put an end to his worries that police would never place charges.

"It's about time," he said. "We've been very concerned, very concerned about this."

Anyone with information about Rogers' death is asked to call police at 853-5959 or Crime Line at 344-8500.

The city and a private donor are offering an $11,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction in the case.