Four men have been arrested and charged in the 1982 rape and murder of 16-year-old Roxanne Sharp — a case that went cold for more than four decades before DNA testing and a true-crime podcast cracked it open.
Sharp’s body was discovered on Feb. 12, 1982, dumped near the St. Tammany Parish Fairgrounds in Covington, Louisiana. She had been raped and strangled. Investigators had little physical evidence to work with, and for 43 years, her killers walked free.
In 2023, detectives with the Louisiana State Police’s Covington field office reinterviewed witnesses and potential suspects, conducted an extensive review of the case file, gathered additional evidence and resubmitted original evidence for DNA analysis.
Two years later, detectives with the LSP public affairs and cold case unit partnered with local radio host Charles Dowdy of the Northshore Media Group to produce a podcast titled “Who Killed Roxanne?” The series generated new information, leads and witness cooperation that had previously been unknown to investigators.
Arrests followed this month. On April 21, Billy Williams Jr., 62, was taken into custody in Covington, and Darrell Dean Spell, 64, was arrested at his home in Dayton, Ohio; Spell is awaiting extradition to Louisiana. The remaining two suspects, Perry Wayne Taylor, 64, and Carlos Cooper, 64, both of Covington, were already incarcerated by the Louisiana Department of Corrections on unrelated charges and made contact with detectives on April 22. All four men are charged with aggravated rape and second-degree murder.
Covington Police Chief Michael Ferrell credited the persistence of both his department and the Louisiana State Police for keeping 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 said. “Cold cases don’t close themselves. They close because people show up year after year and refuse to quit. That is exactly what our agencies did, and today, Roxanne and her family finally have the justice they have waited so long for.”
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 said. “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.”
