Four Arrested in 1982 Killing of Roxanne Sharp in Covington After Cold Case Breakthrough

Louisiana State Police announced the arrest of four men in connection with the 1982 rape and murder of 16-year-old Roxanne Sharp in Covington. The suspects, identified as Billy Williams Jr., 62, Darrell Dean Spell, 64, Perry Wayne Taylor, 64, and Carlos Cooper, 64, were taken into custody following a renewed investigation by cold case detectives.

Authorities said the case was reopened with the help of new DNA technology and information generated by a podcast produced in partnership with local radio host Charles Dowdy. The podcast, released in 2025, prompted new leads and witness accounts that had not previously been available to investigators, police said.

Former Covington police officer Herbert Joiner, who was among the first to arrive at the crime scene in 1982, had maintained a personal archive of case materials and shared them with Louisiana State Police investigator Stefan Montgomery before his death in October at age 68. Police confirmed they had consulted Joiner during the investigation but declined to discuss specific evidence due to the ongoing prosecution.

Sharp, a young mother, was reported missing for three days before her body was found in a wooded area of Covington. The case remained unsolved for decades, despite earlier false confessions, including one from convicted killer Henry Lucas, who later recanted. The investigation was revived in 2023, with detectives re-examining evidence and conducting new interviews. The four suspects are now facing prosecution as the case moves forward.