Cop haunted for decades by Roxanne Sharp’s brutal killing didn’t live to see suspects arrested

Four men have been arrested in connection with the 1982 rape and murder of 16-year-old Roxanne Sharp, ending a decades-long cold case that haunted the city of Covington.

Breakthrough in the Roxanne Sharp Murder Case

Louisiana State Police announced the arrests on Friday, citing a combination of new witness testimony and forensic technology. Investigators noted that DNA capabilities which did not exist at the time of the 1982 crime played a pivotal role in identifying the suspects.

To generate new leads, state police partnered with Northshore Media Group radio host Charles Dowdy to produce a 2025 podcast titled “Who Killed Roxanne?” Police said the program successfully brought forward new information and witnesses previously unknown to the investigation.

District Attorney Collin Sims described the arrests as a powerful example of persistence, collaboration, and the evolution of investigative technology.

The Role of the “Briefcase”

For decades, former Covington police officer Herbert Joiner meticulously collected records, clippings, and clues regarding the murder. He stored these materials in a brown leather briefcase, continuing his pursuit of the case long after retiring from the force to become a school bus driver.

Joiner, who died of a heart attack in October at age 68, shared the contents of his briefcase with lead investigator Stefan Montgomery shortly before his death. Trooper Marc Gremillion confirmed that investigators gathered historical records and statements from Joiner as part of their evidence collection.

Joiner was one of the first officers to arrive at the scene on Feb. 12, 1982, and was kin to the Sharp family. His son, Justin Joiner, stated that his father had long suspected the men now in custody, noting they were part of a specific “clique.”

A History of Silence and False Leads

Roxanne Sharp, a young mother, had been missing for three days before her body was found strangled in a wooded area. For years, the crime cast a “black cloud” over the small community of 11,000 residents, where many remained hesitant to discuss the brutality of the act.

The investigation faced a significant setback when Henry Lucas, known as the “Confession Killer,” claimed responsibility for the murder. Lucas later recanted the confession before dying in prison in 2001.

The path to the current arrests began in 2023, when state police detectives reopened the case to re-interview witnesses, review the case file, and resubmit original evidence for modern DNA analysis.