Two Law Enforcement Officers, Three Others Charged In Brutal Cold-Case Murder

Two law enforcement officers and three other people are facing charges in connection with the brutal 1983 murder of a Georgia man.

On October 9, 1983, the badly-beaten body of 23-year-old Timothy Coggins was reportedly found dumped in a remote area located 30 miles south of Atlanta, Ga., according to NBC News.

The medical examiner’s report determined that Coggins died as a result of blunt force trauma. The report outlined multiple injuries sustained by Coggins during the vicious attack. Other evidence found at the scene of the murder indicated that Coggins, an African-American, was “no doubt” the victim of a racially motivated hate crime, according to Spalding County Sheriff Darrell Dix.

On Friday, police arrested Frankie Gebhardt, 59 and Bill Moore Sr., 58. Both are being held without bond on charges of murder and aggravated assault, along with other offenses stemming from Coggins’ murder. Sandra Bunn, 58, and her son, police officer Lamar Bunn, are charged with hindering an investigation. Detention officer Gregory Huffman, 47, is also charged with hindering an investigation and violation of oath of office.

Dix told reporters that authorities re-opened the 34-year-old case last March after new evidence was uncovered. Although police are being tight-lipped about what the new evidence is, they said additional tips began coming in after the official announcement was made that the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and the Spalding County Sheriff’s Office were taking a fresh look at the incident.

Officials said the original case hit a dead end when potential witnesses refused to cooperate with police after allegedly being threatened by the suspects. Police also said more arrests could be coming soon.

Dix said that due to the heinous nature and circumstances of the brutal murder, authorities plan to prosecute the cases under hate crime statutes. For investigators, the arrests bring to an end a chapter in a decades-old murder mystery that appeared would go unsolved.

For the Coggins family, the long journey toward justice has been a road filled with many twists, turns, and dead ends. Although more time will be needed as the cases make their way through the justice system, the family is confident that justice will now be served.

For more than three decades, the family of Timothy Coggins believed that one day their loved one’s killers would be caught, according to the victim’s niece, Heather Coggins.

“We have always wanted justice, held out for justice, and knew that we would have justice,” she said during a news conference. “We have endured grief for the past 34 years … our journey is coming to an end; their journey is just beginning.”

[Featured Image by David Goldman/AP Images]