Four men arrested in 1982 rape and murder of 16-year-old Covington girl
Airfind news item
By Gray Louisiana
Published on April 24, 2026.
Four men have been arrested and charged in the 1982 rape and murder of 16-year-old Roxanne Sharp, whose body was found in a wooded area near the St. Tammany Parish Fairgrounds in Covington, Louisiana. The case remained unsolved for more than 40 years due to limited physical evidence and limited public cooperation. In 2023, detectives with the Louisiana State Police Covovian Field Office took over the investigation and reviewed the original case file and physical evidence, re-interviewed witnesses and potential suspects, collected additional evidence and resubmitted original evidence for DNA analysis. 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. The arrests were made following arrest warrants for aggravated rape and second-degree murder for four men: Williams, Spell, Taylor, and Cooper, who are already in prison on unrelated charges.
Read Original Article