{"id":129674,"date":"2026-04-28T12:09:48","date_gmt":"2026-04-28T16:09:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/cold-case-cracked-after-40-years-as-teens-alleged-killers-are-caught-after-podcast-helps-find-new-leads-129674"},"modified":"2026-04-28T12:09:48","modified_gmt":"2026-04-28T16:09:48","slug":"cold-case-cracked-after-40-years-as-teens-alleged-killers-are-caught-after-podcast-helps-find-new-leads","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/cold-case-cracked-after-40-years-as-teens-alleged-killers-are-caught-after-podcast-helps-find-new-leads-129674","title":{"rendered":"Cold case cracked after 40 years as teen&#8217;s alleged killers are caught after podcast helps find new leads"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<p>Four men in Louisiana were charged with <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/category\/us\/crime\/rape\">rape<\/a> and murder four decades after 16-year-old Roxanne Sharp was found dead, thanks to a podcast and new DNA technology.<\/p>\n<p>Sharp was found dead in a wooded area in <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/category\/us\/us-regions\/southeast\/louisiana\">Covington, Louisiana<\/a> on Feb. 12, 1982. The Covington Police Department determined that Sharp was raped and murdered, but officials were unable to make arrests due to a lack of public cooperation and limited physical evidence, making the case go cold for decades until now.<\/p>\n<p>Four Covington men face charges of aggravated rape and second-degree murder in connection with the 1982 killing of Sharp: Perry Wayne Taylor, 64, Darrell Dean Spell, 64, Carlos Cooper, 64, and Billy Williams Jr., 62. The men were arrested on April 21 and 22.<\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/newsletters\"><strong>SIGN UP TO GET TRUE CRIME NEWSLETTER<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The Louisiana <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/category\/us\/crime\/police-and-law-enforcement\">State Police<\/a> credited new DNA technology and a podcast for helping make arrests in the murder of Sharp. The podcast generated new leads and information, as well as new witness cooperation.<\/p>\n<p>Police worked with local radio host Charles Dowdy with the Lake 94.7 from the Northshore Media Group in 2025 to produce a podcast called &#8220;Who Killed Roxanne,&#8221; which generated &#8220;new information, leads, and witness cooperation previously unknown to investigators.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/tips\"><strong>SEND US A TIP HERE<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&#8220;These arrests highlight the continued commitment of law enforcement to pursue justice, regardless of how much time has passed. Through <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/us\/forensic-genealogy-unmasks-cold-case-suspect-strangler-sexual-predator-decades-later-officials\">advancements in investigative techniques<\/a> and strong interagency cooperation, cases once thought unsolvable can still be brought to resolution,&#8221; the Louisiana State Police said in a statement.<\/p>\n<p>Sharp\u2019s niece, Michele Lappin, told the Associated Press she hopes the arrests will provide closure.<\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/link.podtrac.com\/cjdr_fnd_article\"><strong>LISTEN TO THE NEW &#8216;CRIME &amp; JUSTICE WITH DONNA ROTUNNO&#8217; PODCAST<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We appreciate the hard work and love that has been shown to Roxanne Sharp\u2019s case,&#8221; Lappin said. &#8220;We hope that with justice will come healing and closure for our family, her loved ones and the community.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Billy Williams Jr.\u2019s son, Billy Williams III, meanwhile, is adamant that his father didn&#8217;t kill Sharp.<\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/category\/us\/true-crime\"><strong>LIKE WHAT YOU&#8217;RE READING? FIND MORE ON THE TRUE CRIME HUB<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&#8220;He thinks they\u2019re putting him in for something he didn\u2019t do,&#8221; Williams III said. &#8220;He says he would never in his life hurt anyone.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Taylor and Cooper were already in prison on unrelated charges, according to police.<\/p>\n<p>Covington Police Department Chief Michael Ferrell said in a statement that his agency never gave up on Sharp&#8217;s case.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The resolution of Roxanne Sharp\u2019s case is a testament to what happens when dedicated law enforcement officers refuse to let a victim be forgotten. For over four decades, the Covington Police Department and Louisiana State Police kept Roxanne\u2019s case alive revisiting evidence, following new leads, and carrying her name forward even when answers seemed out of reach. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/category\/us\/crime\/cold-case\">Cold cases<\/a> don\u2019t close themselves,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;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. We are proud of the work done by every investigator who touched this case and deeply grateful for the partnership that made this moment possible.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/us\/cold-case-cracked-after-40-years-teens-alleged-killers-caught-after-podcast-helps-find-new-leads\">Source &#8211; https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/us\/cold-case-cracked-after-40-years-teens-alleged-killers-caught-after-podcast-helps-find-new-leads <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Four men in Louisiana were charged with rape and murder four decades after 16-year-old Roxanne Sharp was found dead, thanks to a podcast and new [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"twitter_2902945987_2902945987":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[16563],"tags":[],"stock_ticker":[],"class_list":["post-129674","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-market-news","entry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.9 - 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