Four males have been arrested and charged in the 1982 rape and homicide of 16-year-old Roxanne Sharp — a case that went cold for greater than 4 many years earlier than DNA testing and a true-crime podcast cracked it open.
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Sharp’s physique was found on Feb. 12, 1982, dumped close to the St. Tammany Parish Fairgrounds in Covington, Louisiana. She had been raped and strangled. Investigators had little bodily proof to work with, and for 43 years, her killers walked free.
In 2023, detectives with the Louisiana State Police’s Covington area workplace reinterviewed witnesses and potential suspects, performed an in depth evaluation of the case file, gathered extra proof and resubmitted unique proof for DNA evaluation.
Two years later, detectives with the LSP public affairs and cold case unit partnered with native radio host Charles Dowdy of the Northshore Media Group to produce a podcast titled “Who Killed Roxanne?” The sequence generated new info, leads and witness cooperation that had beforehand been unknown to investigators.
Arrests adopted this month. On April 21, Billy Williams Jr., 62, was taken into custody in Covington, and Darrell Dean Spell, 64, was arrested at his dwelling in Dayton, Ohio; Spell is awaiting extradition to Louisiana. The remaining two suspects, Perry Wayne Taylor, 64, and Carlos Cooper, 64, each of Covington, had been already incarcerated by the Louisiana Department of Corrections on unrelated fees and made contact with detectives on April 22. All 4 males are charged with aggravated rape and second-degree homicide.
Covington Police Chief Michael Ferrell credited the persistence of each his division and the Louisiana State Police for conserving the case alive.
“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,” Ferrell mentioned. (*4*)
District Attorney Collin Sims echoed that sentiment.
“This case is a powerful example of what persistence, collaboration, and advancements in investigative technology can accomplish,” Sims mentioned. “For more than four decades, this victim and her family have waited for answers. Today’s arrests reflect our unwavering commitment to pursue justice — no matter how much time has passed — and to hold those responsible fully accountable.”
