Georgia man sentenced to life in 1983 racial murder case
GRIFFIN, Ga. — A judge ordered a white Georgia man to serve life plus 20 years in prison immediately after he was convicted Tuesday in what prosecutors have said was the racially motivated slaying of a black man 35 years ago.
Frank Gebhardt, 60, was convicted on charges including murder in the killing of Timothy Coggins, news outlets report. Witnesses said Timothy Coggins was stabbed 30 times and dragged behind a pickup truck in a killing driven by racial hatred.
Prosecutors have said Coggins was killed because he was dating a white woman. The case remained unsolved for decades.
The jury’s verdict, reached after about six hours of deliberation, was delivered amid heavy security in the courtroom, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.