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By Hollie Silverman
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Louisiana State Police (LSP) announced this week four men have been arrested and charged in the 1982 rape and murder of 16‑year‑old Roxanne Sharp, a cold case that remained unsolved for more than four decades after her body was found in a wooded area near the St. Tammany Parish Fairgrounds in Covington.
Investigators said tips generated from a podcast, Who Killed Roxanne Sharp?, generated new information and previously unknown witness cooperation.
"For more than four decades, this victim and her family have waited for answers," District Attorney Collin Sims said in a press release. "Today’s arrests reflect our unwavering commitment to pursue justice—no matter how much time has passed—and to hold those responsible fully accountable.”
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The Context
The arrests mark a major breakthrough in one of the region’s longest‑running unsolved homicides.
Officials say the resolution underscores how modern investigative tools—combined with persistence—can bring long‑delayed justice to victims and families.
Podcasts have increasingly become a force in cold‑case investigations, giving long‑dormant files new visibility and prompting witnesses who stayed silent for decades to finally come forward.
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When Did Roxanne Sharp Go Missing?
The teenager disappeared on February 12, 1982, the day her body was later discovered in a wooded area near the St. Tammany Parish Fairgrounds in Covington.
Early evidence in the case showed she had been raped and murdered before being left in the secluded area, but investigators at the time struggled with limited physical evidence and little public cooperation.
The Covington Police Department conducted the initial investigation, but without usable forensic leads or witness information, the case quickly went cold and remained unsolved until state police reopened it in 2023.
What to Know About the New Investigation
According to LSP, detectives re‑examined the original file, re‑interviewing witnesses and potential suspects, and resubmitted evidence for updated DNA testing.
Investigators said the case stalled for years due to limited evidence and a lack of public cooperation, but advances in DNA technology, renewed witness interviews, coupled with the six-episode podcast generated the leads needed to move the case forward.
Northshore Media Vice President Charles Dowdy, who helped produce the podcast, said his team didn’t think there’d be much interest, but "we were quickly corrected," local station KTVU reported.
“The resolution of Roxanne Sharp’s case is a testament to what happens when dedicated law enforcement officers refuse to let a victim be forgotten," Covington Police Department Chief Michael Ferrell said. "For over four decades, the Covington Police Department and Louisiana State Police kept Roxanne’s case alive revisiting evidence, following new leads, and carrying her name forward even when answers seemed out of reach."
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Who Are the Suspects?
With the new evidence, authorities obtained arrest warrants for four Covington men: Perry Wayne Taylor, 64; Darrell Dean Spell, 64; Carlos Cooper, 64; and Billy Williams Jr., 62.
Investigators have not publicly detailed each man’s specific relationship to Sharp or to one another, but all four were identified as suspects through a combination of new witness cooperation, re‑examined evidence, and updated DNA analysis.
"Cold cases don’t close themselves. They close because people show up, year after year, and refuse to quit," Ferrell explained.
Williams was arrested April 21 at his Covington home during a coordinated operation involving LSP SWAT and local officers. Spell was arrested the same day in Dayton, Ohio, by agents with the Ohio Attorney General’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation.
Taylor and Cooper, already incarcerated on unrelated charges, were contacted by detectives on April 22, LSP added.
Officials from the district attorney’s office and Covington Police Department praised the decades‑long effort, saying the case remained active because investigators refused to let Sharp’s death fade from memory.
What Happens Next
Spell awaits extradition from Ohio, while Williams, Taylor, and Cooper remain in custody in Louisiana.
Prosecutors with the 22nd Judicial District Attorney’s Office will move forward with charges of aggravated rape and second‑degree murder.
Authorities continue to encourage anyone with additional information to come forward, noting that public cooperation remains essential in solving violent crimes.
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