NATCHEZ — A Fayette man who walked free when charges against him in connection with a 2009 Natchez murder were dropped was sentenced to 20 years in prison Wednesday on a drug charge.

A jury took less than an hour to return a guilty verdict for Willie Duck, 38, 1040 Old Harriston Road, on a charge of possession of a schedule II controlled substance with intent to distribute, Assistant District Attorney Tim Cotton said.

Duck and two other men were charged in connection with the 2009 murder and attempted rape of Terry Farmer and the subsequent arson of her Shadow Lane residence. The charges against Duck — accessory after the fact to murder, accessory after the fact to rape and accessory after the fact to arson — were dropped without prejudice because of insufficient evidence.

Duck was also charged in August 2010 in connection with the robbery of a man on Main Street. Duck was convicted and sentenced to seven years in prison in September 2011, court documents indicate, but was apparently later released.

Cotton said efforts by Duck’s attorney to arrange a plea deal in the drug case were rescinded by the district attorney’s office. Duck was convicted under the habitual offender statute meaning he must serve his entire sentence without the possibility of reduction or early release, Cotton said.

“Sometimes bad things happen to good people and they need (a second chance),” Cotton said. “But when that person has been given multiple chances, the need becomes to help the community, not the individual who commits the crimes.”

Agents with the Natchez-Adams County Metro Narcotics Task Force arrested Duck on the drug charge, and Cotton said the agency should be commended for putting together a successful case.

“We couldn’t have done it without their hard work,” he said.