Killed ex-state senator, O'Donnell says

Former friend, campaign aide keeps motive to herself, gets 50 years in prison

Law enforcement officials escort Rebecca O’Donnell out of the Randolph County Courthouse in Pocahontas on Thursday, Aug. 6, 2020, after she pleaded guilty to the murder of Linda Collins. Asked to explain to the court what she did, O’Donnell said, “I intentionally killed her.”
(Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Thomas Metthe)
Law enforcement officials escort Rebecca O’Donnell out of the Randolph County Courthouse in Pocahontas on Thursday, Aug. 6, 2020, after she pleaded guilty to the murder of Linda Collins. Asked to explain to the court what she did, O’Donnell said, “I intentionally killed her.” (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Thomas Metthe)

POCAHONTAS -- A close friend and former campaign aide to former state Sen. Linda Collins told a judge Thursday that she killed the former lawmaker last year and attempted to conceal her body.

She made the admission as part of a plea agreement that resulted in sentences of a combined 50 years in prison.

Rebecca Lynn O'Donnell, 49, was arrested less than two weeks after Collins' body was discovered wrapped in a blanket under a tarp in the driveway of Collins' Randolph County home in June 2019.

Since then, prosecutors have revealed little as to what they think motivated O'Donnell to kill Collins, other than stating in one court filing that they believed the crime was committed over money.

[Video not showing up above? Click here to watch » https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=guTkptpUPHw]

Few additional details were released Thursday, though Judge John Fogleman said investigative documents that have been sealed for more than a year will be released to the public as soon as next week.

During a hearing that lasted roughly half an hour Thursday, O'Donnell pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and abuse of a corpse, nodding and answering "yes" when Fogleman asked if she understood the severity of the charges.

Prosecutors had previously charged O'Donnell with capital murder, intending to seek the death penalty during a trial scheduled for October.

Asked to explain to the court what she did, O'Donnell said, "I intentionally killed her."

[Gallery not loading above? Click here for more photos » arkansasonline.com/87odonnell/]

Also Thursday, O'Donnell pleaded no contest to two related solicitation to commit murder charges out of Jackson County. In that case, O'Donnell was accused of seeking to recruit several inmates in the Jackson County jail to kill Collins' ex-husband, Phil Smith, and frame him for the former senator's murder.

As part of the plea agreement, O'Donnell was sentenced to 43 years in prison on the murder and abuse of a corpse charges in Randolph County. In Jackson County, she was sentenced to seven years to be served after completion of the sentence out of Randolph County -- for a total of 50 years.

O'Donnell will be eligible for parole after serving a minimum of about 30 years, her attorneys said.

FEW ANSWERS

In portions of a redacted affidavit filed with the court after O'Donnell's arrest, prosecutors revealed that she had been filmed removing security cameras from inside Collins' home a few days after the senator was last seen alive.

Collins' body was discovered by her son and father on June 4, 2019, and investigators later determined that she died of multiple stab wounds.

Randolph County Sheriff Kevin Bell, who investigated the case along with Arkansas State Police officers, declined to elaborate on the investigation during a news conference Thursday. A state police spokesman could not be reached for comment.

"I think the public will get to know exactly what happened, I think that's important," Bell said. He added later, "there's some motivation to it, you'll be able to see all that in the documents."

Robert Dittrich, the special prosecutor assigned to the case, said in a notice filed with the court earlier this year that the suspected motivation for the crime was "avoiding or preventing an arrest," along with "pecuniary gain." He provided no other specifics as to the motivation and declined to comment to reporters Thursday.

O'Donnell's attorney, Lee Short, said his client was not required to reveal her motivations as part of the plea agreement. Other than conversations with her attorneys -- which he noted were privileged -- Short said he was not aware of O'Donnell telling anyone why she killed Collins.

"I think that's something that's always going to remain unanswered," Short said.

In a statement released through a family spokesman, however, Collins' son, Butch Smith, said he believes "hate, jealousy and greed" motivated O'Donnell to kill his mother.

"I believe that Rebecca O'Donnell was stealing money from my mother, and when my mother confronted her about it, she snapped and stabbed my mother to death in a fit of rage and perceived self-perseverance," he said.

Bell, the Randolph County sheriff, said O'Donnell's guilty plea ends the investigation into Collins' murder. He did not give an answer when asked if police were still investigating other suspects or associated crimes.

Releasing the "voluminous" record of O'Donnell's case will take at least a week, Fogleman said Thursday. He said clerks will have to sort through the records to make redactions.

OTHER REACTIONS

Several members of Collins' family attended Thursday's plea hearing in Pocahontas. Afterward, family spokesman Ken Yang released statements from Butch Smith and Collins' daughter, Tate Williams.

"We know that there will be some who are not satisfied with the outcome today," Williams said. "We realize that no matter what punishment Rebecca O'Donnell receives, it will never be enough. It will never bring my grandpa's daughter back, or our mother back, or our children's grandmother back. No amount of punishment will ever fill that void that Rebecca O'Donnell made in our lives the day she killed our mother."

O'Donnell's attorney, said the plea agreement was finalized within the past week. Short said he believes O'Donnell and prosecutors were motivated to seek closure for the families in the case.

"I know Ms. O'Donnell did not want her family to have to go through a trial," Short said.

O'Donnell's fiance, Tim Loggains, did not attend Thursday's proceedings, though he has attended other hearings in the case. Neither he nor an attorney who has spoken on his behalf could be reached for comment Thursday.

Collins, a conservative legislator known for her support of gun rights, was elected to the House as a Democrat in 2010, but she later switched to the Republican Party. She also served two terms in the Senate, from 2015-19. During her time in the Legislature, Collins went by the surname Collins-Smith.

Several of Collins' former colleagues in the Arkansas Legislature and around northeast Arkansas reacted Thursday to O'Donnell's plea.

"Senator Linda Collins-Smith was both a colleague and friend to me and many of us," state Sen. Missy Irvin, R-Mountain View, said in a statement. "I am glad this nightmare has come to a place of resolution for Linda's family and friends. The pain and loss of Linda will never be fully resolved, but this guilty plea and sentencing helps the healing begin."

U.S. Rep. Rick Crawford, a Republican from Jonesboro, said in a tweet Thursday that "the heartbreaking conclusion today with the admission by the woman who killed Linda Collins-Smith does not bring her back to her loved ones or friends. However, it shows justice is always served and will always be pursued."

After Thursday's hearing, Short said O'Donnell was taken to the Jackson County jail in Newport, where she had been held in order to provide better access to her attorneys in Little Rock.

He said he did not know when O'Donnell will report to the Arkansas Department of Corrections to begin serving her sentence.

While the state prison system has stopped accepting male prisoners because of outbreaks of the coronavirus, the primary state facility for women, the McPherson Unit in Newport, is still accepting transfers from county jails, a spokeswoman said Thursday.

Rebecca O’Donnell is escorted out of court Thursday after she entered her plea. More photos at arkansasonline.com/87odonnell/.
(Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Thomas Metthe)
Rebecca O’Donnell is escorted out of court Thursday after she entered her plea. More photos at arkansasonline.com/87odonnell/. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Thomas Metthe)
Randolph County Sheriff Kevin Bell wouldn’t give details Thursday about the investigation in the slaying of former state Sen. Linda Collins, but he said “there’s some motivation to it, you’ll be able to see all that in the documents.”
(Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Thomas Metthe)
Randolph County Sheriff Kevin Bell wouldn’t give details Thursday about the investigation in the slaying of former state Sen. Linda Collins, but he said “there’s some motivation to it, you’ll be able to see all that in the documents.” (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Thomas Metthe)

Upcoming Events