NEW ORLEANS - A Baton Rouge man has been formally charged with murder after he allegedly beat an elderly man to death in New Orleans earlier this year.

According to a report from WWL, 25-year-old Garrett Ward is accused of beating 60-year-old Arnold Jackson in the 2000 block of St. Charles Avenue on Jan. 6.

Police arrested Ward after two witnesses identified him as the man who attacked Jackson. One of those witnesses said Ward appeared to be drunk when he began beating Jackson for no apparent reason. He died from his injuries on Jan. 18.

Jackson's family later told WWL that the elderly man had stepped in after he saw Ward attacking a woman. Ward was later found in a nearby parking garage.

Ward has been free since he posted a $250,000 bond, but he's expected to surrender. His new bond is set at $1 million following the indictment. He faces a mandatory life sentence if convicted of second-degree murder.