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

Key Points:

• Former Louisiana police officer Herbert Joiner, who had long been haunted by the 1982 gang rape and murder of 16-year-old Roxanne Sharp, shared his extensive case files with lead investigator Stefan Montgomery before his death in October.
• Four men identified by Joiner were arrested in connection with Sharp's murder after Louisiana State Police detectives used new DNA technology and information generated by a 2025 podcast titled “Who Killed Roxanne?” to advance the cold case.
• The podcast, produced in collaboration with local radio host Charles Dowdy, helped uncover new leads and witnesses, reigniting community interest in the decades-old case that had remained largely unspoken about in Covington.
• Sharp’s murder had remained unsolved for over 40 years, with a false confession by a convicted killer named Henry Lucas complicating the investigation; renewed police efforts in 2023, including re-interviewing witnesses and DNA testing, ultimately led to the arrests.
• Joiner’s family and investigators believe his persistence and dedication, symbolized by a brown leather briefcase of collected evidence, played a crucial role in bringing the suspects to justice shortly before his death.