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.