Sheriff: Five arrested in 34-year-old murder case so brutal, today it would be a hate crime

The Spalding County Sheriff’s Office made five arrests on Friday related to a 34-year-old murder case that investigators say was so heinous, it would be considered a hate crime today.

According to a release on the Spalding County Sheriff’s Facebook page, Timothy Coggins, a 23-year-old black man, was found brutally murdered on Oct. 9, 1983, in a grassy area in the Sunnyside area of northern Spalding County.

Investigators began interviewing witnesses and developing a case in the search for Coggins’ killer. The case had remained unsolved until this year, according to the release.

In March 2017, new evidence became known to investigators in the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and the Spalding County Sheriff’s Office. The family was notified of this new evidence in July and investigators decided to release it to the public in hopes of finding new leads, the release stated.

Once the information was released, investigators contacted and re-interviewed the original witnesses in the case. New evidence and witnesses came to light, and many of the new witnesses said “they had been living with this information since Coggins’ death but had been afraid to come forward or had not spoken of it until now,” according to the release.

“Based on the original evidence recovered in 1983 and new evidence and interviews there is no doubt in the minds of all investigators involved that the crime was racially motivated and that if the crime happened today it would be prosecuted as a hate crime,” the release stated.

Five men and women, including a law enforcement agent, were arrested as a result of the investigation.

Frankie Gebhardt, 59, has been charged with murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, aggravated battery and concealing the death of another.

Bill Moore, Sr., 58, has been charged with murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, aggravated battery and concealing the death of another.

Sandra Bunn, 58, and Lamar Bunn, 32, were charged with obstruction.

Gregory Huffman, 47, has been charged with violation of oath of office and obstruction. He was terminated from his position as a detention office after his arrest, according to a comment from the Sheriff’s Office.

Huffman, Sandra Bunn and Lamar Bunn’s charges stem from the new investigation, and not the 1983 investigation of Coggins’ murder, according to a release from the Sheriff’s Office.

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

The five suspects appeared in court Friday morning. Gebhardt and Moore were denied bond. Huffman had cash-only bonds totaling $35,000. Sandra and Lamar Bunn were released Friday night after posting bond, according to the release.

This story was originally published October 16, 2017 at 9:49 AM with the headline "Sheriff: Five arrested in 34-year-old murder case so brutal, today it would be a hate crime."