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Last Updated: Thursday, October 1, 2026 at 04:44 PM
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Georgia man pleads guilty in cold-case racial slaying

Bill Moore Sr. received a 30-year sentence for his role in the death of Timothy Coggins.
Timothy Coggins
Witnesses said Timothy Coggins was stabbed 30 times and dragged behind a pickup truck. AP / AP file

GRIFFIN, Ga. — More than three decades after a black man died in a racially motivated killing in Georgia, two white men have been held accountable.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that Bill Moore Sr. pleaded guilty to his involvement in the 1983 slaying of 23-year-old Timothy Coggins. Moore received a sentence of 30 years, with 20 to be served in prison.

His brother-in-law, Frank Gebhardt, went to trial in June on charges including murder and was convicted by a jury. He was sentenced to serve life plus 20 years in prison.

Witnesses said Coggins was stabbed 30 times and dragged behind a pickup truck. His body was found in Spalding County on Oct. 5, 1983.

Prosecutors said Coggins was killed because he was dating a white woman.

The case remained unsolved for decades.