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, little did he know that the tragic events were about to unfold before him. Although he was reported missing that evening, it took authorities two days to determine that the mutilated body, found in Sunny Side, Spalding County, belonged to him. Crime Junkies’ documentary, Captured: Timothy Coggins Killer(s) tells the story of the horrific crime and how prosecutors were able to bring the perpetrators to justice some 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, you have come to the right place.
What Caused Timothy Coggins’ Death?
At the time of his death, Timothy Coggins was 23 years old and living with his family in Griffin, Georgia. When he was killed, he was found dead. He was very close to his mother and seven other siblings, all of whom had a great connection to him. He had strong bonds 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 serving others and had high aspirations and dreams for his future. On the other hand, he was completely unaware that a seemingly harmless evening in a bar would cost 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 expected and looked forward to a relaxing evening. It is interesting to note that his friend Jesse Gates, who used to work for the Spalding County Sheriff’s Office, drove him to the pub. Also, while Jesse was dropping Timothy off, he spotted a number of white men hanging around the pub, which struck Jesse as odd. Jesse was unaware that this would be the last time he would see Timothy, who would disappear shortly after this encounter. Timothy was 23 at the time.
On October 9, 1983, officers from the Spalding County Police Department found Timothy’s deceased body in Sunny Side County. According to the podcast, Sunny Side was a predominantly white neighborhood, so the discovery of a black victim came as quite a shock to authorities. Additionally, based on appearances, Timothy was subjected to severe physical abuse, including beatings, before being murdered by numerous stab wounds. In addition, the attackers carved a symbol into his stomach that resembled the Confederate flag. An autopsy was then performed and the results showed that the stab wounds were the cause of Timothy’s death.
Timothy Coggins lived in Griffin, Georgia. He was killed sometime in the past. He took his own life on October 9, 1983 and has not been seen or heard from since.
Coggin’s murder remained a mystery for many years before it was finally solved. who killed him Learn as much as you can about the case as a whole.
Is there an article about Timothy Coggins on Wikipedia?
Timothy Coggins was a Georgian by birth and local resident. There is no record on the Wikipedia website that he was there.
Still, the racially motivated cold-case murder of Coggins made big headlines for a few years. After an intense search that lasted ten years, the mystery was finally solved.
Timothy was one of the few black officers in the county, which was significant in his career. Jesse Gates, who had previously served as a Spalding County sheriff’s deputy, was a friend of his.
In addition, it was established that Coggins was in a romantic relationship with a white woman prior to his death.
At the time of his death, the law enforcement officer was only 23 years old. A vicious murder has taken the life of the dedicated police officer, which is a terrible tragedy.
Timothy Coggins, a black man who was dating a white woman, was lynched in Spalding County, Georgia, in the state of Georgia in 1983. Notably, the probe was dropped by police after just two weeks.
What injuries did Timothy Coggins have?
Jesse Gates and Timothy Coggins, who were both friends, had known each other for quite some time.
One day, the two friends drove to a dance club called People’s Choice that was out of town. At that time, Coggins disappeared without a trace.
He was found dead in an open spot in Sunnyside, Georgia after being brutally killed.
According to the police, it was a popular meeting place for parties and drug deals.
Coggins was found with many stab wounds when found; he had also suffered other injuries. After his death, forensic investigations revealed that he was subjected to severe forms of torture.
According to their report, the victim suffered seven stab wounds in the front of his chest. Similarly, there were cross cuts across his chest and across his back.
Even the forensic experts had trouble determining who the deceased person was. It was killed with the utmost cruelty and left in a deformed state.
In addition, the autopsy revealed that he had to bleed to death before breathing his last behind a pile of wood.
According to the Sheriff’s Office, he sustained many injuries before his death.
Who would want to kill Timothy Coggins?
Timothy Coggins, 23, was found dead and five people have been arrested in connection with his death. In 2017, after a period of thirty years since the first incident, the mystery was finally solved.
The investigation into the perpetrator of the murders was initially discontinued, only when the case was resumed did new details come to light.
On the other hand, it turned out that Frankie Gebhardt, Bill Moore Sr., Sandra Bunn, Lamar Bunn and Gregory Huffman were responsible for the murders.
Huffman reportedly worked for the sheriff’s office as the correctional facility’s executive officer. Both Sandra and Lamar Bunn had careers as law enforcement officers with the Milner Police Department.
The entire investigation had uncovered the fact that the crime was motivated by racial tensions. It is not clear when those responsible for the killing will be charged.
Unfortunately, investigating Timothy’s murder proved incredibly difficult as the police had no leads or witnesses to work with. Authorities conducted a thorough investigation of the crime scene and even searched the surrounding area, but their efforts were unsuccessful. Even Timothy’s relatives and friends were baffled by the situation, unable to understand why anyone would want to harm such a gentle spirit. Furthermore, despite the fact that the form of murder gave the impression that it was motivated by bias, authorities found no evidence of a likely suspect.
Who is Franklin Gebhardt?
During the initial phase of the investigation, local law enforcement officials were inundated with a significant body of leads; However, all of these reports turned out to be false leads, and investigators started from scratch. The investigation was shelved for a number of years and soon became a “cold case” as no progress was made on the case during that time. In fact, it was noted on the podcast that even Timothy’s family had given up on their dreams of a closure, with no idea if the person responsible for his death would ever be prosecuted. Still, in 2016, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation decided to reopen the investigation into the matter.
The mission to identify and apprehend the killer was assigned to Special Agent Jared Coleman. After receiving the case, Jared went through the evidence files and came to the conclusion that he needed to question anyone who had any connection to the murder. The confessions by Franklin Gebhardt and William “Bill” Moore Sr., Franklin Gebhardt’s brother-in-law, that they were responsible for the death of a black man, gave him his first breakthrough on the case. The podcast alleges that Franklin and William were both incarcerated at the time they made their confession to another prisoner, who then reported their statements to authorities.
From that point on, the investigation went fairly smoothly as more witnesses came forward and authorities quickly amassed enough evidence to arrest Franklin and William. Also, Gregory Huffman, who worked as a corrections officer, was arrested for obstructing justice, while Franklin’s sister, Sandra Bunn, and nephew, Lamar Bunn, were arrested for helping the defendants escape from the law.
Who is William Moore Sr.?
After being brought before the judge, Franklin was found guilty of a number of felonies, including concealing the death of another person, aggravated assault, aggravated assault, and two counts of murder with malice. As a direct result, the judge handed him a life sentence in 2018, in addition to an additional thirty years. On the other hand, that same year, William pleaded guilty to both concealing the death of another person and having voluntarily committed manslaughter. As a result, he was sentenced to twenty years in prison and ten more years of probation for his crimes.
As a result, Franklin continues to serve his sentence at Georgia Diagnostic and Classification State Prison, located in the unincorporated portion of Butts County, Georgia. On the other hand, William was imprisoned at Augusta State Medical Prison in Augusta, Georgia until his death in October 2021.