Arrest Made in 2008 NC Bottling Company Double Murder

A killing that rattled a North Carolina soda plant and stumped investigators for nearly 18 years may finally have a suspect, the Charlotte Observer reports. Police in Concord, NC, say 43-year-old Johnny Steven Talbert was arrested last week in Washington state and charged with two counts of first-degree murder and one count of robbery with a dangerous weapon in the 2008 Sun Drop Bottling Company slayings.

Authorities say office manager Donna Barnhardt, 59, and job applicant Darrell Noles, 44, were fatally shot on the morning of June 13, 2008, after a man entered the Concord bottling facility, stole cash and change from the front office, and fled on foot. A sketch was released that year, and detectives spent years chasing tips and resubmitting evidence as forensic technology advanced. Concord police say a fresh review of evidence and "previously undeveloped leads" late last year pointed to Talbert; they contacted Port Angeles, Wash., police in December, then arrested him May 21, WSOC-TV reports. Talbert is being held without bail in Washington pending extradition to North Carolina, People reports. The case remains open, and Concord police are asking anyone with information to come forward.