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O’Donnell Charged with Capital Murder in Death of Linda Collins

3 min read

Rebecca Lynn O’Donnell of Pocahontas has been charged with capital murder, abuse of a corpse and tampering in the death of former state Sen. Linda Collins, Arkansas Business news partner THV 11 News reports.

O’Donnell, 48, appeared at the Randolph County Courthouse Monday morning for a probable cause hearing. She was arrested late Friday.

O’Donnell remains in custody without bond. No other details were available Monday because files in the case had been sealed by a judge’s previous order, according to THV 11 reporter Rolly Hoyt.


Authorities haven’t said why they suspect O’Donnell had a role in Collins’ killing. At a news conference Friday night, Randolph County Sheriff Kevin Bell said the investigation was at a “critical juncture and no further information will be released at this time until we are confident it will not compromise the integrity of the criminal investigation.”

Robin Emis, an attorney for Collins during her divorce, said she didn’t believe O’Donnell was capable of the crime and described the woman as a close confidante of the ex-lawmaker.

“She treated Linda as if she was either her friend or her mother. She just watched over her and protected her to a degree that was touching,” Emis said.

Tim Loggains, O’Donnell’s fiancé, proclaimed her innocence and said they “both loved Linda and tirelessly gave our time and energy to support her, in every way.” Loggains was granted power of attorney for Collins during her divorce proceedings.

“Although Becky and I are devastated by the current accusations, we are trying to trust the judicial process and we hope that every possible suspect is being looked into,” he said in a statement. “A lot of hurtful things are being printed and we ask that people please show us mercy while the police investigate every possibility.”

Prosecutor Henry Boyce on Monday also defended his decision to ask that the case records be sealed, saying news reports and social media posts became a “distraction” to law enforcement within hours of Collins’ body being found.

“The biggest threat to the successful prosecution of any criminal case is the premature release of information which has the tendency, as with this case, to become distorted and ultimately has the effect of prejudicing the potential jurors who may eventually be chosen to hear the case at trial,” he said in a statement released by his office.

Collins’ body was found June 4 outside her home in Pocahontas. Authorities had initially been unable to confirm the remains found were hers because of the condition of the body. Police did not give a cause of death.

On Friday, Ken Yang, Collin’s former communications director, said Collins and O’Donnell, who goes by Becky, were friends. In a statement released by Yang, Smith’s family said they were “sickened and upset” by the thought that one of her friends could have been involved in her killing. 

“The family is very confident that the Randolph County Sheriff’s Department and the Arkansas State Police will continue to work diligently to bring justice to this case,” the family said.

Collins’ funeral was held Saturday morning in Pocahontas and was followed by a private burial service attended only by family, Yang said.

(The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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