HALIFAX —- A 26-year-old Roanoke Rapids man is charged in the brutal 2006 murder of a prominent businessman in his Roanoke Avenue office.

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Gene Arnold Hawkins Jr. is charged with first-degree murder in the Feb. 2, 2006, slaying of 69-year-old Shelby Salmon, according to Halifax County District Attorney Melissa Pelfrey. Standing by her side on the steps of the Halifax County Courthouse as she announced Hawkins’ arrest were Sheriff Jeff Frazier and Roanoke Rapids Deputy Police Chief Adam Bondarek, who stood in for Chief Jeff Hinton who was out of town.

Tuesday’s announcement was the culmination of thousands of hours of investigation by the Roanoke Rapids Police Department, the Halifax County Sheriff’s Office and the State Bureau of Investigation.

Salmon was a popular figure in the Roanoke Rapids business community running Salmon Investments from his 1135 Roanoke Ave. office. He went home most days for lunch. On that Thursday, he didn’t come home on time. Unable to reach him, family members went to check on his office. They found him shot to death.

According to investigators, there was no sign of a struggle. They believed the assailant forced Salmon to lay on the floor then shot him in the back of the head.

With few leads, police started a canvass of the entire area. In the initial days, officers interviewed more than 100 people and invested nearly 1,700-man-hours searching for a clue to the suspect’s identity.

The motive is still uncertain. A wallet, cash and a gun were missing from the office, according to police reports. At Tuesday’s press conference, law enforcement officials refused to speculate on motive or discuss the details of their investigation.

Officials said Hawkins has a criminal history including assault and larceny. He was serving a 32-month sentence for assault and scheduled for release Oct. 21. “Most of his crimes were committed in the Roanoke Rapids area but he was serving time for an assault in Warrenton,” said Bondarek.

Following his arrest on the first-degree murder charge, he is being held without bond.

Roanoke Rapids Police worked with the SBI and the Halifax Sheriff’s Office to solve this case. Bondarek said a lead they received around May helped crack the case.

In August, the police department and sheriff’s office met with the District Attorney’s office to pool their resources and follow up on other leads. Tuesday, Hawkins was arrested.

“In today’s current economic conditions, when budgets for law enforcement and prosecution services are being threatened it only makes sense for us to work together in an effort to see justice is done for the citizens of Halifax County. Victims of crime should not pay the price for budget shortfalls. Their burden is already great enough,” Pelfry said during the press conference.

Bondarek said he was glad to have closure for the family.

For Frazier, it was an especially satisfying arrest. He and Salmon were close friends talking almost every day. In 2006 when asked about Salmon, Frazier told The Daily Herald, “I’ve known him pretty much all my life.” Frazier added, “He was a person who would give people the shirt off his back. Nobody needed to hurt him. He never hurt anybody. Tuesday, he said the whole thing felt unreal and it makes you wonder why something like this happens.

A $10,000 reward is still being offered for information which leads to a conviction in this case. Anyone with information should call the Roanoke Rapids Police Department at 533-2810, the Halifax County Sheriff’s Office at 583-8201 or Crimestoppers at 583-4444.