Who Are Franklin Gebhardt and William Moore Sr.? Explained Murder of Timothy Coggins
When Timothy Coggins made the decision to spend the evening at the People’s Choice pub in Griffin, Georgia, he had no idea that the tragic events that were about to unfold in front of him. Even though he was reported missing that evening, it took the authorities two days to determine that the mangled body that was found in Sunny Side, Spalding County, belonged to him. The documentary ‘Captured: Timothy Coggins Killer(s)’ by Crime Junkies recounts the terrible crime and demonstrates how the prosecution was able to bring the offenders to justice about 34 years after the event. If you are interested in this investigation and would like to know the current whereabouts of those responsible for the crime, we have you covered.
What caused Timothy Coggins’ Death?
At the time of his death, Timothy Coggins was 23 years old and lived in Griffin, Georgia with his family. When he was killed, he was found dead. He was very close to his mother and his seven other siblings, all of whom shared a great link with him. He had a strong bond with his loved ones. Timothy was described by those who knew him as a young man who had a big heart, was grounded in reality, enjoyed being of service to others, and had lofty goals and dreams for his future. On the other hand, he was completely unaware that a seemingly innocuous evening spent at a bar would result in him losing his life.
On October 8, 1983, Timothy made the decision to spend the evening at the People’s Choice pub in Griffin, Georgia, where he anticipated having a relaxed night and was looking forward to it. It’s interesting to note that his friend Jesse Gates, who used to work for the sheriff’s office in Spalding County, drove him to the pub. In addition to this, while Jesse was dropping Timothy off, he spotted a number of white males hanging around the pub, which seemed strange to Jesse. Jesse was unaware that this would be the last time he would ever see Timothy, who would vanish shortly after this encounter. Timothy was 23 years old at the time.
On October 9, 1983, officers from the Spalding County Police Department located the deceased corpse of Timothy in the Sunny Side section of the county. According to the podcast, Sunny Side was a predominantly white neighbourhood, so the discovery of a black victim there came as quite a shock to the authorities. In addition, based on the appearance of things, Timothy was subjected to severe physical abuse, including beatings, before being murdered by being stabbed numerous times. Even further, the assailants etched a symbol into his belly that resembled the Confederate battle flag. An autopsy was performed afterwards, and the results revealed that the stab wounds were the cause of Timothy’s death.
Timothy Coggins was a resident of Griffin, Georgia. He was killed sometime in the past. On October 9, 1983, he took his own life and hasn’t been seen or heard from since.
The murder of Coggin was a mystery for many years before it was finally solved. Who put him to death? Learn as much as you can about the case in its entirety.
Is There An Article About Timothy Coggins On Wikipedia?
Timothy Coggins was a native Georgian and local resident. On the Wikipedia website, there is no record of him being there.
Despite this, the racially motivated cold case murder of Coggins garnered a great deal of news for a number of years. After an extensive search that lasted ten years, the mystery was finally solved.
Timothy was one of the few Black officers in the county, which was significant to his career. Jesse Gates, who had previously served as a sheriff’s deputy in Spalding County, was a friend of his.
In addition to this, it has been stated that Coggins had a romantic relationship with a white woman before he passed away.
At the time of his death, the law enforcement officer was only 23 years old. A vicious murder took the life of the dedicated police officer, which is a terrible tragedy.
Timothy Coggins, a black man who had been dating a white lady, was lynched in 1983 in the county of Spalding, Georgia, in the state of Georgia. The probe was mainly dropped by the police after only two weeks had passed.
What were Timothy Coggins’s Injuries?
Jesse Gates and Timothy Coggins, both of whom were friends, had known each other for a considerable amount of time.
One day, the two pals took a ride to a dance club named People’s Choice that was located outside of town. It was at that time when Coggins vanished without a trace.
He was discovered dead in an open location in Sunnyside, Georgia, having been brutally killed.
According to the information provided by the police, the site in question was a popular hangout for parties and drug transactions.
Coggins was found with many stab wounds when he was found; he had also sustained other injuries. After his death, forensic investigation indicated that he had been subjected to severe forms of torture.
According to the information provided in their report, the victim suffered seven stab wounds to the front of his chest. In a similar fashion, there were cross-cuts across his chest and across his back.
Even the forensic experts had a hard time determining who the deceased person was. It was killed with extreme cruelty and left in a deformed state.
In addition, the autopsy revealed that he had been left to bleed to death before taking his final breath behind a pile of wood.
According to the information provided by the sheriff’s office, he suffered many injuries before his death.
Who Would Want to Kill Timothy Coggins?
Timothy Coggins, 23, was found dead, and five persons have been detained in connection with his death. In 2017, after a period of thirty years since the initial incident, the mystery was finally solved.
The investigation into who committed the murders was first abandoned, and it was only until the case was reopened that new details emerged.
On the other hand, it turned out that Frankie Gebhardt, Bill Moore Sr., Sandra Bunn, Lamar Bunn, and Gregory Huffman were the individuals responsible for the murders.
According to the reports, Huffman worked for the sheriff’s office as an officer in charge of the detention facility. Both Sandra and Lamar Bunn had careers as law enforcement officers with the Milner Police Department.
The entirety of the investigation had uncovered the fact that the crime was motivated by racial tension. It is not apparent when the people responsible for the killing will be arraigned.
Regrettably, the investigation into Timothy’s murder turned out to be incredibly difficult due to the fact that the police had no leads or witnesses to work with. The authorities conducted a thorough investigation of the crime scene and even canvassed the surrounding areas, but their efforts were fruitless. Even Timothy’s relatives and friends were perplexed by the situation because they had no understanding why somebody would want to cause harm to such a gentle spirit. In addition, despite the fact that the form of the murder gave the impression that it was motivated by bias, the authorities found no evidence that pointed them in the direction of a likely suspect.
Who Is Franklin Gebhardt?
During the initial phase of the inquiry, local law enforcement personnel were inundated with a significant number of tips; however, all of these reports turned out to be false leads, and investigators found themselves starting from scratch. The inquiry was put on hold for a number of years and soon became a “cold case” because no progress was made on the case during that time. In point of fact, it was noted in the podcast that even Timothy’s family had given up on their dreams for closure and had no idea if the person responsible for his death would ever be prosecuted. Nevertheless, in 2016, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation decided to reopen the investigation into the matter.
The mission to identify and apprehend the killer was given to Special Agent Jared Coleman. After being given the case, Jared searched over the evidence files and came to the conclusion that he needed to question everyone who had any connection to the murder. The confessions of Franklin Gebhardt and William “Bill” Moore Sr., Franklin Gebhardt’s brother-in-law, that they were responsible for the death of a black man provided him with his first break in the case. The podcast claims that Franklin and William were both incarcerated at the time that they made their confession to another prisoner, who then reported their statements to the authorities.
The inquiry went quite smoothly from that point on, as additional witnesses came forward, and the authorities quickly amassed sufficient evidence to arrest Franklin and William. Additionally, Gregory Huffman, who worked as a detention officer, was detained for obstructing justice, while Franklin’s sister, Sandra Bunn, and nephew, Lamar Bunn, were arrested for aiding the accused in their flight from the law.
Who is William Moore Sr.?
After being brought before the judge, Franklin was found guilty of a number of offenses, including concealing the death of another person, aggravated battery, aggravated assault, and two counts of murder with malice. As a direct consequence of this, the judge imposed a life sentence on him in addition to an extra thirty years in 2018. On the other hand, William entered a guilty plea in the same year to both concealing the death of another person and to voluntary manslaughter. As a result, he was sentenced to twenty years in jail in addition to 10 more years of probation for his crimes.
As a result, Franklin continues to serve his sentence at the Georgia Diagnostic and Classification State Prison, which is located in the unincorporated portion of Butts County in the state of Georgia. On the other side, William was incarcerated at the Augusta State Medical Prison in Augusta, Georgia, until he passed away in October of 2021.