Podcast Cracks 40-Year Cold Case, Charges 4 Men

0:00It's April 25th. This is Durham News today, AI-powered stories from your city. Louisiana State Police just cracked a 40-year cold case on the rape and murder of 16-year-old Roxanne Sharp, all thanks to a true crime. Podcasts that lit a fire under old leads. They charged four men in their early 60s, Perry Wayne Taylor, 64, Daryl Dean Spell, 64, Carlos Cooper, 64, and Billy. Williams, Jr. 62, with aggravated rape and second-degree murder. That podcast flooded investigators with public tips and fresh witness accounts, helping them trace Sharp's final days right up to the crime scene. Two of the suspects, Cooper and Taylor, were already locked up on other charges while Williams and Spell got picked up just this week. Sharp hung around the same neighborhood as these guys, making the connections hit close to home. Her niece spoke for the family, saying they're grateful and eyeing some real healing now. But Williams' son fired back, insisting his pops had nothing to do with it and would

1:03never hurt anyone. Back in the day, cops chased a dead end when serial killer Henry Lee Lucas confessed, only for it to fall apart later with solid proof he wasn't. Involved, podcasts folks even recreated the wooded drag spot with tape measures, painting a clear picture of the grab-and-go attack. Old cases like Roxanne's don't solve themselves. They take relentless push from cops, podcasters, and folks who never forgot. Justice rolled in decades late, but it's here, closing a painful chapter for her circle.