Dustin Hoffpauir

Dustin Hoffpauir, a 33-year-old White man from Columbus, Mississippi, was a business owner and a beloved friend and brother. Originally from Hancock County, he founded an HVAC company called Stella Air, LLC. Friends and family remembered him as an "amazing person" and a talented baseball player. In November 2021, he became engaged to Angela Coggins, and by all accounts was part of her family's life.

On the evening of Saturday, May 21, 2022, a celebration turned to tragedy in Caledonia. Earlier that day, Hoffpauir had attended the Caledonia High School graduation ceremony for his fiancée's son, 18-year-old Justin Robert Coggins. Photos from the event reportedly showed Hoffpauir with the newly graduated teen. Later that evening, around 7 p.m., deputies from the Lowndes County Sheriff's Office were dispatched to a disturbance call at a home on Richard's Lane. When they arrived, they found Hoffpauir deceased from a gunshot wound.

The investigation immediately centered on Justin Coggins. Sheriff Eddie Hawkins stated that the shooting occurred during a domestic dispute, though the exact circumstances were initially unclear. Investigators noted that both Coggins and his mother requested an attorney and were not forthcoming with information, leaving authorities to piece together the events. Coggins was arrested and charged with murder.

Coggins was booked into the Lowndes County Adult Detention Center, and his bond was set at $250,000. In May 2023, a Lowndes County grand jury indicted him on a lesser charge of manslaughter in connection with Hoffpauir's death. The case proceeded to trial in Lowndes County Circuit Court.

The trial began in early September 2025. On September 4, after testimony that included Coggins taking the stand in his own defense, a jury found him guilty of manslaughter. The following day, September 5, 2025, Circuit Court Judge Lee Howard sentenced Justin Coggins to serve five years in prison.