Accused Sun Drop killer extradited to Concord
Talbert
CONCORD — The man accused of killing two people during a robbery at Concord's Sun Drop Bottling Co. more than 18 years ago has been returned to Cabarrus County to face murder charges.
Johnny Steven Talbert, 43, was extradited from Washington state and taken into custody by the Concord Police Department on Tuesday morning. He has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder and one count of robbery with a dangerous weapon and is being held in the Cabarrus County jail without bond, according to the Concord Police Department.
The charges stem from the June 13, 2008, shooting deaths of Donna Barnhardt, 59, the bottling company's longtime office manager, and Darrell Noles, 44, who was at the plant applying for a job after being laid off. Investigators allege Talbert fatally shot both victims during a robbery in which about $9,905 was stolen from the business.
Talbert's return to North Carolina marks the latest development in one of Cabarrus County's most notorious unsolved homicide cases. The killings, widely known as the "Sun Drop Murders," remained unsolved for nearly two decades despite hundreds of tips, national television exposure and an $85,000 reward.
Police announced Talbert's arrest in May after investigators said a renewed review of evidence and previously undeveloped leads identified him as the suspect. Authorities have not disclosed what evidence led detectives to reopen the case or connect Talbert to the killings, saying the investigation remains active.
According to previous reporting, Concord detectives contacted the Port Angeles Police Department in Washington in late 2025 after determining Talbert had relocated there years earlier. Port Angeles officers arrested him May 21 on North Carolina warrants, and he remained in Washington while extradition proceedings were completed.
Court documents allege Talbert unlawfully and with malice killed Barnhardt and Noles and robbed Sun Drop Bottling Co. while armed with a handgun, endangering both victims' lives. Following Talbert's extradition, Concord Police Chief Jimmy Hughes acknowledged the years of grief endured by the victims' families. "While nothing can take away the pain and heavy burden the families have carried for the last 18 years, today our community rests a little easier knowing that we have our suspect in custody and we are one step closer to bringing justice to Donna, Darrell, and their families," Hughes said.
Hughes said the department's priority remains the victims and their families and that investigators will not release additional information while the case proceeds through the court system.
The case shocked Concord in 2008. Investigators said a man entered the Sun Drop bottling plant shortly after 10 a.m., shot Barnhardt and Noles and fled on foot with cash from the office and vending machines. Witnesses described the suspect, and police later released a composite sketch, but the investigation stalled despite repeated appeals for information. The Sun Drop bottling plant had long been a fixture in Concord and the murders left a lasting impact on the community. Over the years, the case was featured on America's Most Wanted, and supporters created the "Justice for Donna" website to keep public attention focused on finding the killer.
Talbert is expected to make his initial appearance in Cabarrus County District Court, where prosecutors will begin moving the case through the judicial process. He has not yet entered a plea to the charges.
The Charlotte Observer and the (Port Angeles, Washington) Peninsula Daily News contributed to this story.
