Louisiana State Police Crack 1982 Cold Case With Help From Local Radio Host’s Podcast
A 16-year-old girl was found dead in the Louisiana woods in 1982. Four decades of silence followed. Now four men face charges in the rape and murder of Roxanne Sharp — and a true crime podcast helped get them there.
Sharp’s body was discovered on Feb. 12, 1982, in a wooded area near the St. Tammany Parish Fairgrounds in Covington, Louisiana, about 30 miles north of New Orleans. On April 24, 2026, Louisiana State Police announced the arrests of four men, ages 62 to 64, on charges of aggravated rape and second-degree murder.
Who Was Roxanne Sharp?
Sharp was 16 when she was found in the woods near the fairgrounds. Investigators determined she had been raped and murdered, with her body left at the scene.
The Covington Police Department led the initial investigation, but the case went cold due to insufficient physical evidence and witnesses who were reluctant to cooperate.
For a time, authorities believed serial killer Henry Lucas was responsible after he confessed. Lucas, known for making false confessions, later retracted his claim, and additional evidence ruled him out.
In 2023, the Louisiana State Police Covington Field Office took over as lead investigators. Detectives reviewed the original case file, resubmitted physical evidence for modern DNA testing and re-interviewed witnesses and possible suspects.
How a True Crime Podcast Helped Break the Cold Case
In 2025, investigators partnered with Northshore Media Group and radio host Charles Dowdy of Lake 94.7 to produce a six-part podcast called Who Killed Roxanne?
Dowdy, who serves as vice president of Northshore Media, recorded audio as investigators recreated the crime scene with measuring tapes — work that revealed Sharp had been grabbed from the street and dragged into the woods.
The Who Killed Roxanne? podcast generated significant public response, prompting new tips and bringing forward witnesses who had stayed silent for years.
“When we started the podcast, we kind of thought nobody cared — we were quickly corrected,” Dowdy told The Associated Press. “A lot of people stepped up and said they knew Roxanne, they remembered her, they were friends with her.”
Louisiana State Police spokesperson Marc Gremillion told the AP the project played a key investigative role.
“It helped our investigators piece together where Roxanne was days before to the time she died, to where we’re at now,” Gremillion said. “It was a very large help with getting that message out to the public, and then, therefore, those witnesses getting back to us.”
Who Has Been Charged in Roxanne Sharp’s Murder?
Four men — all from Covington and all known to Sharp — face charges of aggravated rape and second-degree murder:
- Perry Wayne Taylor, 64
- Darrell Dean Spell, 64
- Carlos Cooper, 64
- Billy Williams Jr., 62
Sharp frequently spent time in the suspects’ neighborhood, according to investigators.
Williams was arrested April 21, 2026, at his Covington home and booked into St. Tammany Parish Jail. The same day, Spell was arrested in Dayton, Ohio, by the Ohio Attorney General’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation and is being held at Montgomery County Jail awaiting extradition.
On April 22, detectives contacted Taylor and Cooper, both already in Louisiana Department of Corrections custody on unrelated charges.
What the Arrests Mean for Roxanne Sharp’s Family
For Sharp’s family, the arrests mark the first answers in 44 years.
“We appreciate the hard work and love that has been shown to Roxanne Sharp’s case,” Sharp’s niece, Michele Lappin, said in a statement shared by The Associated Press. “We hope that with justice will come healing and closure for our family, her loved ones, and the community.”
District Attorney Collin Sims framed the case as a milestone, citing persistence, collaboration and advances in investigative technology. Covington Police Chief Michael Ferrell credited the decades of detectives who refused to let the case fade — a reminder, he said, that “cold cases don’t close themselves.”
This article was created by content specialists using various tools, including AI.
