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Four Men Charged in 1982 Rape and Murder of Louisiana Teen After Cold-Case Breakthrough

Investigators credit modern DNA testing plus a 2025 local podcast for the breakthrough.

Overview

  • Louisiana State Police announced that four Covington men — Perry Wayne Taylor, Darrell Dean Spell, Carlos Cooper, and Billy Williams Jr. — are charged with aggravated rape and second-degree murder in the killing of 16-year-old Roxanne Sharp.
  • Police arrested Williams at his Covington home, and Ohio state agents took Spell into custody in Dayton, where he awaits extradition to Louisiana.
  • Detectives contacted Taylor and Cooper while both were already in Louisiana Department of Corrections custody on unrelated cases.
  • The six-part Who Killed Roxanne? podcast on Lake 94.7 drew new tips and witnesses, which investigators paired with updated DNA testing to map Sharp’s movements before her death.
  • Prosecutors are preparing the next steps, including a grand jury review, and Sharp’s family said the arrests offer a chance for healing after decades without answers.