Four men have been arrested in connection with the 1982 murder of 16-year-old Roxanne Sharp in Louisiana, thanks to tips generated by a true-crime podcast and advances in forensic technology, state police announced on Friday.
The suspects, all aged 64 and from Covington, Louisiana, are Perry Wayne Taylor, Darrel Dean Spell, Carlos Cooper and Billy Williams Jr. They each face charges of aggravated rape and second-degree murder, which carry a mandatory life sentence if convicted.
Sharp's body was discovered on 12 February 1982 in a wooded area near Covington's St Tammany parish fairgrounds. Investigators determined she had been raped and murdered, but scant evidence and limited public cooperation left the case unsolved for over four decades.
In early 2025, the Northshore Media Group released a podcast titled Who Killed Roxanne Sharp?, featuring a tip line. The podcast, created with state police involvement, generated new leads. Combined with updated DNA testing, it helped identify and arrest the suspects. Two of the men were already in prison in Louisiana on other charges, one was arrested in Covington, and Spell was apprehended in Ohio, awaiting extradition.
State police Lieutenant Heath Miller said a 'culture of fear' had hindered earlier investigations, but the podcast played a crucial role in obtaining needed information. District Attorney Collin Sims praised the persistence and collaboration that led to the arrests, stating, 'This case is a powerful example of what persistence, collaboration, and advancements in investigative technology can accomplish.'
