Suspect arrested in 2008 ‘Sun Drop Murders’ case after almost 20 years

CONCORD, N.C. (WBTV/Gray News) - Newly obtained video shows the arrest of a man accused of killing two people at a Sun Drop bottling facility in North Carolina in 2008.

Johnny Steven Talbert was arrested on May 21 in Port Angeles, Washington State. He was charged with two counts of first-degree murder and one count of robbery with a firearm, stemming from a shooting on the other end of the country.

On June 13, 2008, 59-year-old Donna Barnhardt and 44-year-old Darrell Noles were killed at the Sun Drop facility in Concord, North Carolina.

Read also: Concord’s Sun Drop murder suspect was arrested 14 times in city 3,000 miles away, police say

Concord police said Barnhardt was a longtime office manager at the facility, while Noles was there to apply for a job. Detectives believed Talbert was there to steal money before he fled. Talbert was reportedly seen by some witnesses, and despite hundreds of tips from the community, the case went unsolved for almost 18 full years.

Talbert was in court on Friday, June 12 for an extradition hearing. During that hearing, authorities said they were waiting on a governor’s warrant from North Carolina to bring Talbert back to Cabarrus County.