What happened to Doug Coker? Details explored ahead of Snapped on Oxygen

Oxygen's re-airing of Snapped will feature a classic episode from 2021 covering the murder of Doug Coker, an aging businessman. Coker was attempting to establish a charitable foundation, but tragically, this endeavor ultimately led to his demise. The case dates back to 2012 when Pamela Moss, a woman with a lengthy criminal history, murdered the veteran businessman.

The re-airing of Snapped is scheduled for June 11, 2024, at 9.00 PM EST. The synopsis for the same reads:

"When a prominent businessman goes missing, Georgia investigators race against the clock to locate him, uncovering a killer who will go to any lengths necessary to stay hidden."

The case remains a chilling reminder of a dreadful crime and a criminal in the quaint neighborhood of Georgia. Read on to find out more about Doug Coker's murder.

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Who was Doug Coker and what happened to him?

William "Doug" Coker was a veteran businessman who dealt in the storage business, automotive business, and rental homes. Doug Coker was also a father and husband. He married Judy Cook Phillips, a successful businessperson herself, in 1984.

As they approached their old age, the Cokers decided to invest money in charity and give back to society. Doug chose to convert his rental home into a non-profit organization to support homeless people.

However, while Doug Coker was trying to establish his plans, he likely came across Pamela Moss, who described her job as someone who signed grants. While approaching this, Coker had allegedly loaned Pamela Moss $85,000 to start this nonprofit. However, some trouble erupted between them, as discovered by authorities much later.

On the afternoon of March 13, 2012, Doug's nephew reported him missing. He had allegedly gone to a "business meeting," but his wife did not know where or with whom. Authorities started the search with urgency due to Doug's age and a possible medical emergency. However, they did not initially find a clue.

Later, by tracking his cell phone, they found him at McDonald’s that morning. His last call led the police to Pamela Moss, who already had a criminal history. Pamela Moss initially claimed she had no idea about Doug Coker's whereabouts and even claimed that she had met Coker in the parking lot of the restaurant.

However, given her criminal history, the police did not show much faith in this and reached her residence on the night of March 18, 2012. There, the officers found something astounding. Pamela had reportedly tried to hide the badly decomposed body of Doug Coker under her porch. Beside that, lay a plastic tub filled with bloody tarps, among other things.

Firefighters were called to the scene and they discovered that Pamela Moss had left the fireplace starter on to fill the home up with gas and left behind lit matches to cause an explosion to cover her tracks. Thankfully, the matches were extinguished and the place was salvaged.

An autopsy later revealed that Doug was beaten to death as he had blunt force trauma on the head. Pam reportedly used a hammer to do this after luring Doug into her house. The hammer was found at her residence as well.

After escaping this house, Pam's sister called 911 to report that her sister was unresponsive. Pam had allegedly tried to kill herself using the same drugs that she used to kill her mother but was unsuccessful in the attempt.

She was charged with Doug Coker's murder and sent to prison for life with no possibility of parole, despite the perpetrator trying to plead insanity.

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The upcoming episode of Snapped on ID will cover this case in more detail.