She Was Killed and Left in the Woods. Decades Later, a Podcast Cracked the Case in Roxanne Sharp’s Murder

More than 40 years after a 16-year-old girl was found raped and murdered in the Louisiana woods, a podcast has helped track down her alleged killers.

The Louisiana State Police announced April 24 that four men—Perry Wayne Taylor, 64; Darrell Dean Spell, 64; Carlos Cooper, 64; and Billy Williams, 62—have been arrested for aggravated rape and second-degree murder in the 1982 death of Roxanne Sharp.

“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 in the statement. “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. Cold cases don’t close themselves. They close because people show up, year after year, and refuse to quit.”

What Happened to Roxanne Sharp?

Sharp’s body was discovered Feb. 12, 1982 in the woods near the St. Tammany Parish Fairgrounds in Covington, Louisiana. The teen had been raped and murdered, but the disturbing case went cold. 

"Due to a lack of physical evidence and limited public cooperation,” police said, “the case remained unsolved for more than four decades.”

Then, in 2023, the Louisiana State Police Covington Field Office  brought renewed focus to the murder, launching a comprehensive review of the case. As part of their efforts, police said they uncovered additional evidence and resubmitted original evidence for DNA analysis.

Yet, the podcast Who Killed Roxanne, launched in 2025, brought the case into the spotlight. The podcast—a joint effort between detectives, the Louisiana State Police Public Affairs unit and local radio host Charles Dowdy—helped generate new leads and encouraged witness cooperation, police said.

“When we started the podcast, we kind of thought nobody cared—we were quickly corrected,” Dowdy, who also serves as vice president of Northshore Media who produced the podcast, explained to The Associated Press. “A lot of people stepped up and said they knew Roxanne, they remembered her, they were friends with her.”

During the podcast, investigators re-created the crime scene, measuring out exactly where the body and other key pieces of evidence had been recovered. 

According to Dowdy, “It clearly showed that she’d been grabbed on the street and dragged into the woods.”

Louisiana State Police spokesperson Trooper Marc Gremillion told Oxygen.com that the podcast also reached others outside the local community. 

“It encouraged individuals, including those who had moved away over the years, to come forward with information,” he said. “That outreach generated new leads and allowed investigators to reconnect with witnesses who had not previously been identified or interviewed.”

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With the new information—and the advancement in technology—police were able to hone in on the four suspects. Though Gremillion declined to provide details on the evidence that led to the arrests, he attributed the break in the case to “years of investigative work.” 

He added, “We are confident in the case as it moves forward with the District Attorney’s Office.”

According to Gremillion, investigators believe that Sharp had a connection to the suspects.

"Investigators learned that Roxanne spent time in an area of Covington known as the ‘Ozone,’ where she was around a group of young adult males,” he explained to Oxygen.com. “The four individuals arrested are from that same area. Because this is still an active case, we are limited in how much detail we can provide about those connections.”

Williams and Spell were taken into custody on April 21. Taylor and Cooper—who were both incarcerated within the Louisiana Department of Corrections on unrelated charges—were made aware of the new allegations against them on April 22.

“This case is a powerful example of what persistence, collaboration, and advancements in investigative technology can accomplish,” District Attorney Collin 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.”

Williams’ son, Billy Williams III, told The Associated Press that he believed his father was innocent of the charges against him.

“He thinks they’re putting him in for something he didn’t do,” he told the outlet. “He says he would never in his life hurt anyone.”

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Its unclear whether any of the suspects have retained an attorney. 

For Sharp’s family, the arrests have provided answers. 

“We appreciate the hard work and love that has been shown to Roxanne Sharp’s case,” her niece Michele Lappin said in a statement to The Associated Press. “We hope that with justice will come healing and closure for our family, her loved ones, and the community.”