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Criminally Obsessed
“A Monster Of A Case” — Police Share Inside Information On Roxanne Sharp’s Murder
00:20:57
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- [00:00]
A
Hey everyone, I'm Ann Emerson and this is criminally obsessed. Four men thought they got away with murder. And for 40 years they were right. And then a podcast started asking questions and everything changed.
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B
Roxanne was a, she was like five foot one. She had bleach blonde hair. She was tiny little girl, but she was a spark plug.
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A
16 year old Roxanne Sharp was last seen on February 5, 1982. She was getting into a white van in the park parking lot of a Covington, Louisiana grocery store. A week later, her body was found in a place referred to as the ozone. She was brutally beaten and stripped for decades. There were plenty of false starts, false confessions, but no arrests.
- [00:49]
B
It was either people thought that, you know, the arrests have already been made or just, you know, some people at that time, they were just kind of fearful to talk about, you know, what had happened or what they knew.
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A
Then a dedicated Louisiana detective who couldn't forget Roxanne Sharp had an idea. Get a local radio host to do a podcast on her murder. Get people talking so new information would come out.
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B
I took the lid off of it and I started looking at it and it was a, I mean it was a monster of a case and I started piling through it.
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A
This detective, Stephon Montgomery, can't talk to us right now because this case is actively heading to trial.
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B
State police wants publicity for Roxanne's case through this podcast, but more than that, they want a successful prosecution of whoever killed her.
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A
But Louisiana State Police Public Information Officer Mark Grimyan was able to share some inside information on how the podcast, who Killed Roxanne Sharp, was able to help them make those arrests. Let's get into it. Did your family know about this case? Did they know about Roxanne Sharp?
- [02:01]
B
So they actually did know about the case. I was at a family event the other day and they were actually talking about it. They remember hearing of the story of what happened to her. So being a local and having family around that time, it's, it's interesting how, you know, that that all played out to how we are here today with, with the investigation that, that our investigators have done.
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A
So, so your, your own family knew about it? What did they say about it? Give me the gossip, like what were they saying about it?
- [02:31]
B
A lot of the kind of, that our investigators, you know, came into contact with, it was either people thought that, you know, the arrests have already been made or just, you know, some people at that time, they were just kind of fearful to talk about, you know, what had happened or what they knew
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A
well, when did you hear about the Roxanne Sharp case?
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B
It was last year, back when my. My previous sergeant, Sergeant William Huggins, he spoke with me about one of our detectives in our coven field office had a cold case murder that he felt very, very confident in that he could pursue and potentially find the murderers from this case. They just needed, you know, some more, a different outlet to try and get that information out to the public, just kind of help piece together some timelines that. That we needed. So it was. It was last year whenever this whole idea was. Was brought forth to our section on public affairs.
- [03:29]
A
Why do you think that. That you guys wanted to go to a podcast plat to. To get the. Get a podcast involved in the investigation.
- [03:39]
B
So this is honestly kind of one of the first time our agency has done any type of, I guess, cold case slash media collaboration. And you know, it was. Charles is one of our. One of my frequent radio hosts that I go and I do interviews with monthly. So it was a face that our agency knew that we could come forward with some. Some sensitive information to, hey, look, we've never done any type of podcast or any type of, you know, relation like this, and we honestly relied on somebody that we could trust to kind of help us get the message out to. To reach our potential witnesses out there. So it was. It was just a familiar face what
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A
was giving them confidence that they could crack a case from 1982.
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B
So, I mean, technologies have advanced and not to mention just technology when it comes to forensic analysis, DNA analysis, but also just media itself being able to reach out to people. One of the main things that we had was using our. Our media outlets from the podcast with. With the 94.7 with Charles Dowdy being able to get that information out, but also just re examining that evidence. Re. With. Re interviewing those witnesses. It was a case that our investigator knew about back when he actually started with the Covenant Police Department. And it was a case that he knew if he just kept working on and kept continuing that he could. He could make that arrest and figure out exactly what happened to Roxanne.
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A
You're talking about Stefan?
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B
Yes, ma'. Am. Investigator Stefan Montgomery.
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A
So this is a case that, you know, Charles talks about it too. Charles. Daddy. You know that he was just haunted by this case.
- [05:26]
B
Yes. So, I mean, it's definitely something that once you've looked at the original files and you knew and you've seen what happened to Roxanne, it's not something that that leaves you.
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A
I mean, at one point, I think Charles Dowdy Called what happened to Roxanne Medieval. Is that how you would describe was
- [05:46]
B
it was definitely brutal to what happened to her? You know, any type of violent crime, it's, it's disheartening and it's not something that you ever want to have to see that happen to somebody. So I would definitely categorize it as very, very brutal death and rape that Roxanne unfortunately went through in her final moments. So, you know, that's just testimony to what our investigators have done to go from, you know, the difficulty they had back in the days to where we're at now to be able to bring those that did that horrendous crime to Roxanne to. To justice where they're are at now.
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A
Well, Mark, tell me, is it DNA that was sort of the smoking gun in this? Is that really what cracked this case?
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B
So, I mean, it's, it's not just DNA that, that helped our investigators, you know, get to the point where at that right now it was the whole totality of the investigation that they had from re examining the evidence that they had on scene, collecting new evidence, re interviewing witnesses and also finding new ones through those outlets that we were got in contact with through our media. So we don't want to just harp on just, you know, evidence from the DNA itself that that's. We have to look at the whole totality of everything that our investigators found there.
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A
Not a lot of details about this, about her murder have been released, have they?
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B
No, just because, as you know, it's still ongoing now into the judicial process with these arrests. The most important thing is keeping the integrity of that, of that case going. So limited information has been provided, but still a good portion to be able to tell that story to let the people know about Roxanne and what happened to her.
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A
But it is amazing though, right, as far as investigators surprised that 40 years later this, the. The evidence was still or that what you were able to. To gather was able to go through sort of this new technology.
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B
It's fantastic that you know, just, you know, the storage of this evidence, you know, like you said, has lasted the time. So that, that's just, you know, great leaps that we've had when it comes to evidence collecting, evidence storage. But then also, you know, the updates that we have in this technology that, that allows our investigators to look at these cold cases, to give that confirmation to those that may be in the same circumstance that like, look, this can be done. You're. Don't lose hope on what happened to your family member. There's still justice out there that can be served. So it has been great for us that everything has stood the test of time when it comes to that evidence and being able to move forward with testing it with where we're at now with technology.
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A
The tips on this story have come in from all over, right? Not just local Covington people. You got them all over the country, right?
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B
All over the country. And then one of the things Charles actually reached out about is we've had people from several parts across the globe that have reached out. And that's one of the things why, you know, we kind of settled on going to the podcast and helping out, going to these media outlets. We were able to connect with people that. That lived in Covington or especially in the area called the ozone where. Where she was from and was known to frequently people that moved away. So being able to utilize that has been fantastic for. For the investigation.
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A
How old were they? Were they all sort of of that generation, or was it like, yeah, my mom told me about something.
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B
So we've had a wide range of age groups have come in and brought forth information from kind of like how you said, like, hey, I heard my. My parents talk about the case to people that lived in the area at that time. So to put an actual number on that, it's. It wouldn't do it. Just by the sheer number of public outreach on information has been so vast.
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A
And when did it start? Like, was it right off the bat or did it take a while to warm up?
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B
It took. It took a little bit. I think it took maybe one or two episodes. And then, you know, it being shared on social media, they started sharing it and it just started picking up traction. So the more that, you know, it, it got shares, the more people heard about it and the more were like, I. I lived and coming to that at a time, I think I know something about it. And it was around that time that the phone calls, the email started rolling in.
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A
It's like crowdsourcing information to find out, like, who knew what when. Right.
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B
A lot of information came in, and it was a lot of. A lot of diligent work that came in from our investigators to funnel all information because not. Not, you know, everything that came in was vetted. Nothing was, you know, discarded to the side. Everything was looked at all totally. So.
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A
But not all these places still exist, right? Like, the locations, the. The homes, the businesses. How did. How did the investigators handle that?
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B
So what was really good is some of the original, you know, crime scene photos. You had aerial photos of the Exact area. But like how you said things, things change from whenever I grew up in Covington. We have roads, we have businesses that weren't there back when I was growing up. And that's, you know, it's in the early 90s. So, you know, send that back another decade. You know, things have obviously changed. So getting that, that witness testimony from people at that time to let us know, you know, what roads are different, what businesses are there, you know, what hangout spots have changed. So getting that, that information from those witness testimonies from that time, being able to build together that timeline has been very important.
- [11:37]
A
The men that were arrested, they were known to law enforcement even back then, weren't they? Were they ever potential suspects in the case?
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B
So numerous individuals were interviewed during the original investigation. But out of respect for the integrity of the case, we're not going to discuss how many individuals were considered. But the most important thing is that we, we. We've arrived with these arrests today.
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A
The suspects that you ended up arresting for this, you're saying, may or may not have been the ones that you were looking at originally, Correct?
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B
We can't, we can't confirm or deny that at this time, just because it's still no ongoing investigation and court proceedings.
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A
The former sheriff did say when he was interviewed in the podcast that these suspects were well known to law enforcement, that they were bad dudes. Law enforcement must have known that they were bad dudes all along, right?
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B
Oh, from, from what we saw, you know, they did have, you know, frequent interactions with law enforcement at that time. And, you know, as. As you said, two of them were, were, you know, currently were incarcerated at the time of the. The arrests were made. So, I mean, they were known to law enforcement, definitely.
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A
Yeah. And some of them knew or they were hanging out with Roxanne. Is that right?
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B
Yes. So the, the four individuals, they were. Roxanne dead. Frequently hang out with them? Yes.
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A
What were they doing? What were they giving her money for that.
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B
I mean, that's, that's so in depth with the, with the investigation. We don't want to. We don't want to give anything away that would, you know, hurt the case.
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A
What about other victims? I mean, maybe not murder victims, but, you know, this was a sexual assault case as well. Is there a statute of limitations that you have to worry about in Louisiana for this or. Or you still pursuing to see if there was anything else?
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B
So. So the arrest that we made is. Is predominantly for just, you know, the rape and murder of Roxanne for this case itself. But for other victims out there, there is no statute limitation for aggravated rape or first degree rape within our state. Those are synonymous. So, you know, if there's anybody that has ever, you know, they've had that, you know, that terrible crime done to them, please reach out, let us know. You know, don't be afraid, don't feel ashamed of what happened to you. We, we have the resources, we have, you know, we have the willpower to, to fully investigate whatever happened. And with the advancement of technology and just investigative methods, we will, we'll do all that we can.
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A
Were you concerned or have you been, have your investigators been concerned that this was a potentially like a marauding gang?
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B
Well, I mean, nothing is going to be, you know, outlooked. It's all going to be mostly focused on just this one case with Roxanne. And the four individuals that were arrested were known to that ozone area where Roxanne was known to frequent. So it definitely was, you know, a localized, you know, crime in that aspect when it comes to marauding from place to place.
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A
Well, I mean, victim to victim really like that, that might have had other
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B
victims that, I mean, that is, that is unknown at this time. But the most important thing is focusing on, you know, what happened to Roxanne, who she was and how we're moving forward to do what's right by her and her family.
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A
Tell me about the resources you have in, in place now for the women today.
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B
So law enforcement has plenty of resources, not just law enforcement, but other just, you know, advocacy groups within our state. There's advocate groups for women that are being either battered or, you know, sexually assaulted. We have trained nurses within our state to go and be able to do those, those, I guess, analysis of the body. Don't be afraid to tell your story what happened to you to law enforcement because our whole job is to be that, that line of defense for them.
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A
Have you ever considered doing another cold case on this podcast because it was so successful with the Roxanne Sharp?
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B
So that is definitely something that, you know, we would, we would look forward to in the future. It takes a lot of effort and it also takes a lot of cooperation with another group. So I could definitely see this being something that we do in the future as well.
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A
You don't have any cases particular in mind yet though?
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B
Not at moment because we are heavily focused on the outcome of this process with Roxanne Sharp and those four individuals. So once everything goes from there, I, I foresee myself being in the, our Covenant field office speaking with our detectives.
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A
So yeah, would you suggest this kind of tactic to, to other law enforcement agencies?
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B
Absolutely. Because, you know, things. Word spread around so quickly when it came from being shared through the podcast, through social media, having other news media outlets and other, you know, entities that picked it up and shared it was able to get that message out. So, you know, we, like, we had people from across the country that lived in Covington that thought a. The arrest were made or that, you know, at that time, they were scared. So being able to get that message out plays a huge role in helping these cold cases get solved. So definitely.
- [17:05]
A
So what is the, what is the timeline for the case now?
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B
Yeah, so it just recently went to grand jury and that passed. So very soon it'll start going into, you know, actual deliberation. So, you know, our detectives, that report is very extensive. I in passing talked with them and it's. It's several binders full of information. It's very, very detailed. What, what Stefan has done has been fantastic. So now it's just moving on to the, to the courts, the. For prosecution.
- [17:43]
A
Is there, like, one thing that the investigators really credit this with solving?
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B
It's a lot of things. It's, it's going from, you know, re analyzing that evidence, looking at the new evidence that was collected, re interviewing old witnesses and also getting, you know, new information, new witness testimony that we were able to get from that podcast going out and reaching all of those people. So it's, it's a lot of bit of everything.
- [18:11]
A
And if anybody has information, particularly about the lighter or the purse which was. Which was mentioned, what should they do
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B
if they have any information on that? If you look at some of our recent posts, it has a direct line to our investigators. It was a telephone number and then also a. An email address. If anybody has any more information, you know, every little bit counts.
- [18:37]
A
Yeah. For the viewers, I can, I can post on. On my Instagram at Ann Investigates and with the Criminally Obsessed podcast, we'll post pictures of the lighter and purse so you can get a better look at what we're talking about. Obviously, this is something that could really help seal the deal, as it were, and close this case that's been going on for more than 40 years.
- [19:01]
B
Spam. A lot of this is credit to those that, that came forward with the information that helped our investigators continue to piece that timeline from COVID where it was at that time, to the last couple moments of Roxanne's days.
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A
This investigation is not over yet. If you or anyone you know, has information about Roxanne, Roxanne's purse, lighter, or anything about her last weeks of life. Reach out to the Louisiana State Police. Every bit of information will help as this case goes to trial. And don't forget to like, subscribe and turn on your notification. We'll be updating this story as it develops.