Two Georgia men charged with dragging a black man behind a pick-up truck more than three decades ago boasted repeatedly to multiple witnesses about the brutal killing.
Timothy Coggins was found dead on Oct. 9, 1983, in a grassy area near a power line along Highway 19, roughly 30 miles southeast of Atlanta. The 23-year-old was stabbed 29 times and two of his teeth were knocked out after he was dragged behind a truck, bound by a chain, Spalding County prosecutor Marie Broder said in court Thursday.
William Moore Sr. and Frank Gebhardt were arrested and charged with murder last month based on their claims to friends and family and witnesses who spotted them with Coggins the night he disappeared. One witness overheard Moore say he "missed the good ol' days when you could kill a black man for no reason," testified GBI Special Agent Jared Coleman, who said the slaying was racially motivated.
Three others, including two members of law enforcement, face charges of helping Moore and Gebhardt avoid prosecution. Moore and Gebhardt are charged with malice murder and felony murder, among other counts. Their case will go before a grand jury Dec. 5.
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