ROCKFORD — Richard E. Wanke was charged Wednesday with first-degree murder in the Feb. 6, 2008, shooting death of attorney Gregory H. Clark, 60, Winnebago County State’s Attorney Joe Bruscato announced at a news conference.

The charges come six years after the killing. Although investigators at the time said Wanke, 52, was a person of interest, no one was charged in the slaying until now. Clark had served as Wanke’s attorney before he was killed.

PHOTOS: See a gallery of the Clark case

A grand jury indicted Wanke on charges of first-degree murder, Bruscato said.

Bruscato would not say whether any new evidence had been uncovered or what led to the charges years after the killing.

Rockford Police Department Deputy Chief David Hopkins said “nothing has dramatically changed at all” regarding the investigation into Clark’s death. He described the lengthy investigative process as “methodical, sometimes grueling.”

Wanke has denied any involvement in Clark’s death. He faces 25 years to life if convicted. Wanke was arrested on a warrant Wednesday and is being held without bond, Bruscato said.

An inmate at Stateville Correctional Center in Crest Hill, Wanke was weeks away from being released. He is serving prison time there after he was convicted on a 2006 burglary charge.

Clark was appointed to defend Wanke against the charge.

Wanke will make a court appearance next week in Winnebago County, Bruscato said.

Clark was killed while clearing snow from a sidewalk outside his Rockford home in the 1700 block of Oakforest Drive. Police said a gunman jumped out of a vehicle and opened fire, shooting Clark several times in the back.

Wanke has been in prison since 2008 serving a 14-year prison sentence after he was convicted of burglary for stealing a laptop from a Rockford University professor. Wanke’s projected parole date on the burglary conviction had been set for May 7.

Diane Chavez of Rockford, Wanke’s former girlfriend and landlord, was found guilty in 2013 of obstructing police investigating Clark’s homicide. A jury decided she had lied to investigators when she told them that Wanke did not live with her at 1113 Grant Ave. That ruling later was overturned, and Chief Judge Joseph McGraw vacated the conviction and ordered a new trial. Chavez has appealed to the appellate court and has filed a motion to dismiss the obstruction charge. (An earlier version of this story online gave incorrect information about the status of Chavez’s case.)

According to statements made in court hearings for Chavez and Wanke, police had provided prosecutors with eyewitness accounts placing Chavez, Wanke and the vehicle they shared at the scene of the shooting.

Georgette Braun: 815-987-1331; gbraun@rrstar.com; @georgettebraun

Past stories

Feb. 7, 2008: Gunman fatally shoots Rockford attorney in back

Feb. 8, 2008: Family, neighbors ‘somber’ after attorney’s shooting death

Feb. 9, 2008: Observers describe shooting, aftermath

Feb. 11, 2008: Hundreds pay last respects to Rockford attorney

Feb. 12, 2008: He’s not charged in attorney’s death, but revoking bond OK

April 11, 2008: Woman jailed on new charges of tampering

Feb. 2, 2010: Police say probe of 2008 slaying of attorney ‘has led to a suspect’

Feb. 5, 2011: Investigation goes on 3 years after Rockford lawyer’s shooting death

Oct. 12, 2011: Woman in Clark murder case acquitted of records charges