Timothy Coggins

In October 1983, 23-year-old Timothy Coggins was brutally murdered in the small town of Sunny Side, Georgia. As his family grieved, they were met with menacing threats, warning them to back off from the investigation. Today’s episode covers a case that had stayed cold for more than three decades, spotlighting a family that never stopped hoping for justice.

Please be aware that today’s episode discusses anti-Black racist violence, please take care while listening.

A full transcript of this episode is available here.

Timothy Coggins.

“Heather Coggins is the niece of Timothy Coggins, who was killed in a racially motivated attack in 1983. It would be over three decades before his case was solved.”

“Frank Gebhardt, left, and Bill Moore were charged in the death of Timothy Coggins, a black man killed in Georgia in 1983. On Thursday, Mr. Moore pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and concealing a body. Credit…Spalding County Sheriff’s Department, via Associated Press.”

“Ramon, left, and Tyrone Coggins, brothers of Timothy Wayne Coggins, pose beside the new headstone on Timothy Coggins’ grave in Zebulon, Ga. Saturday, Dec. 30. Don Schanche / Associated Press.”

Action Items Related to Today’s Episode:

During my work on today’s episode, I had the chance to connect with Timothy’s cousin, Heather. For years, Heather has been a representative of sorts for the entire Coggins family — always doing whatever possible to keep Timothy’s story out there. As Heather puts it, “When you forget what happened, [when you forget] your history, it repeats itself.” So, today, I wanted to make sure to pass that message along to you. Heather shared with our team that one of her biggest dreams is for her uncle’s story to be picked up for a major motion picture adaptation – a way for his life and legacy to reach across the country, to not be forgotten. But of course, this isn’t something that happens without action and it all starts by sharing Timothy’s story in your own community. By telling a friend or family member about Timothy Coggins – about the person he was, the life he lived, and the injustice he and his family endured at the hands of a system that failed them.

You can also head over to the Truer Crime’s social media accounts – @truercrimepod on Instagram and X, and @celisiastanton on TikTok. There you’ll find more videos and graphics about today’s episode, which you can share with your own networks to help spread the word!

I also wanted to direct you to support the Equal Justice Initiative. In particular, I want to highlight their Community Remembrance Project, which “supports efforts to locally memorialize documented victims of racial violence and to educate communities about the history of racial injustice.” Since 2015, their work has included installing more than 80 historical markers in local communities, and helped collect soil from 700 sites of racial terror lynchings. Please consider donating to support this work on their website, eji.org.

Audio Used:

ABC 20/20: In The Cold Dark Night.

YouTube: The Rebirth of the Ku Klux Klan in Nashville, Tennessee (October 13, 1980), uploaded by Foggy Melson.

YouTube:11Alive coverage of the 1987 racial justice march in Forsyth County , by 11Alive.

YouTube: USA – KKK/Black Panther rally, by AP Archive.

YouTube: The Vault: 1982 Ku Klux Klan rally, by WHAS11.

YouTube: Investigators say they are close to solving 34-year-old cold case murder, by

WSB-TV.

YouTube: Arrests in decades long cold case bring painful memories back to family, by WSB-TV.

YouTube: Timothy Coggins’ family reads victim impact statement after guilty verdict in Gebhardt murder trial, by 11Alive.

YouTube: Jurors deliberate in Spalding County murder, by FOX 5 Atlanta.

Sources Used: