Accuser said he tried to kill coach charged with sex abuse

GASTONIA, N.C. — Prosecutors wrapped up their case Friday against former high school wrestling coach Scott Goins, who is accused of molesting several students.
 
An accuser said Friday in court he tried to kill Goins because Goins was wracked with guilt and asked for his help to commit suicide.
 
But on Friday, a witness testified the accuser actually had his own plan to kill Goins.
 
Ronny Huitt said three years ago, one of the accusers came to him and said he was molested by Goins, his high school wrestling coach.
 
"He was very upset. He started crying," Huitt said.
 
Huitt also said he told the man to go to police.

"He said, 'I will not. I can't,'" Huitt said. "I said, 'Why?' He said, 'This will ruin my life.'"
 
Huitt then said the man asked what happens if someone else is abused.

"He said, 'If it happens to someone else, I will kill Scott (Goins) myself,'" Huitt said.
 
Huitt said the accuser determined he needed to carefully watch Goins and step in if he did the same thing to anyone else.
 
Huitt said the accuser said, "I'm keeping my eyes on him. I got to watch him. I got to make sure I protect everybody else from Scott."

Huitt went to police but the accuser refused to admit to what he told Huitt.
 
Last year, the accuser took Goins into the woods at Posten Park and choked him until he thought he was dead.
 
Under cross-examination, the accuser admitted he wasn't in his right mind.
 
"The one thing that you did not admit to that was on the video is that you were high on coffee medicine," said defense attorney Brent Ratchford.

"When you are in high-stress situations you tend to lean back to those type crutches," the accuser said.
 
The defense said Goins never abused his wrestlers.
 
"You said he was tough but a very good coach," Ratchford said.

"What does that have to do with what happened to me?" the accuser said.
 
There are still more than two dozen people on the witness list.  
 
The defense said it could take a week to present their evidence in this case.

WSOC