Four men arrested in 1982 rape and murder of 16-year-old Covington girl

COVINGTON, La. (WVUE) - Four men have been arrested and charged in the 1982 rape and murder of a 16-year-old girl whose body was found in a wooded area near the St. Tammany Parish Fairgrounds in Covington, Louisiana State Police said.

Roxanne Sharp was found dead on Feb. 12, 1982. Investigators said she had been raped and killed, and her body was left in the area where it was later discovered.

The case remained unsolved for more than 40 years because of limited physical evidence and limited cooperation from the public, according to State Police.

In 2023, detectives with the Louisiana State Police Covington Field Office took over the investigation. They reviewed the original case file and physical evidence, re-interviewed witnesses and potential suspects, collected additional evidence and resubmitted original evidence for DNA analysis.

Investigators said a 2025 podcast titled “Who Killed Roxanne,” produced by State Police, LSP Public Affairs and Lake 94.7 radio host Charles Dowdy, generated new information, leads and witness cooperation that had not previously been known to investigators.

Detectives later obtained arrest warrants for aggravated rape and second-degree murder for four men:

• Perry Wayne Taylor, 64, of Covington
• Darrell Dean Spell, 64, of Covington
• Carlos Cooper, 64, of Covington
• Billy Williams Jr., 62, of Covington

On April 21, State Police detectives, LSP Troop L, LSP SWAT and Covington police executed search and arrest warrants at Williams’ home in Covington. He was booked into the St. Tammany Parish Jail.

At the same time, agents with the Ohio Attorney General’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation arrested Spell at a home in Dayton, Ohio. He was booked into the Montgomery County Jail and is awaiting extradition to Louisiana.

On April 22, detectives contacted Taylor and Cooper, who are already incarcerated in the Louisiana Department of Corrections on unrelated charges.

“This case is a powerful example of what persistence, collaboration, and advancements in investigative technology can accomplish,” 22nd Judicial 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.”

Covington Police Chief Michael Ferrell said the case shows what can happen when investigators refuse to let a victim be forgotten.

“Cold cases don’t close themselves,” Ferrell said. “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.”

Anyone with information related to the case or other violent crimes is asked to call Louisiana State Police at 985-635-3167 or email Northshorecoldcase@la.gov.

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