Linda Collins-Smith death Video: Linda F. Collins, famously known as Linda Collins-Smith, was an American Politician and Businesswoman, who was found dead in June, 2019 in her home in Pocahontas, Arkansas. Linda Collins was just 57 years old at the time of her tragic death.
Keep reading this article to learn more about Linda Collins Smith, her personal life, career background, how she died, and much more!
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Who was Linda Collins Smith?
Linda Collins Smith, whose full name was Linda F. Collins was a popular Politician and Businesswoman from Pocahontas, Arkansas, in the United States. She was born on April 17, 1962 and was brought up in her hometown. Collins was educated in Williford, Arkansas, and did her Master’s degree in the field of business management.
Her Personal life details
Linda Collins got married to a circuit court judge named Philip Smith, and this is the reason she was popularly known as Linda Collins Smith, but it was until she divorced him. Her husband was disgraced after being named in a 2017 scandal. Following this, Collins filed for divorce in November, 2017, and they got seperated in 2018. The couple had two children together.
Linda Collins-Smith death Video: Her Cause of Death, And Net worth
Linda Collins was found dead by her father and son, near her home in Pocahontas, Arkansas, US on June 4, 2019. According to the investigation reports, she was stabbed to death on May 28, 2019. Initially, it was reported that Collins had wounds from gunshots, however it was later revealed that she was wounded due to stabbing. She was not able to survive those stabbing wounds and the cause of her death was the wounds she suffered.
Who was the murderer?
Rebecca Lynn O’Donnell from Pocahontas, who was a former campaign worker and also a friend of Linda Collins, was accused of her murder. On June 17, 2019, she was charged with capital murder, abuse of a corpse, and tampering with physical evidence.
The accused, Rebecca Lynn O’Donnell, initially pleaded to be not guilty on all the three counts, but she was later found guilty of murdering Linda Collins and abusing her corpse. She was sentenced to 43 years of jail sentence due to the same charges on August 7, 2020 and she is currently serving the sentence.
More about Linda Collins’ career background
In her initial days, Linda Collins-Smith was a real estate agent. She got into politics through Democratic affiliations and was associated with them till 2011. After 2011, Linda became a part of the famous American Political party “Republican.” She also owned and operated the “Days Inn” in Pocahontas, which was sold in 2016.
Collins served as a strong leader throughout her association with the Republican Party of the United States and served a single term as a member of the Arkansas State Senate from Pocahontas region from 2015 to 2019. Her net worth was estimated to be around 2.6 Million U.S Dollars as of 2019.
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Suspect Pleads Guilty To Murder Of Former Arkansas State Senator Linda Collins
Rebecca O’Donnell pleaded guilty Thursday in the death of former Arkansas state Sen. Linda Collins and was sentenced to 50 years in prison. The plea deal includes charges of first-degree murder, abuse of a corpse and two no-contest pleas to solicit murder in Jackson County.
O’Donnell had worked for Smith in her business ventures and on political campaigns. Had she not accepted the deal, O’Donnell was facing a potential death sentence if the case went to trial.
“I went to Linda’s house, and intentionally killed her and then hid the body,” O’Donnell reportedly said in court Thursday morning.
Details of how she committed the murder were released by Randolph County Sheriff Kevin Bell following the sentencing hearing. Bell said that Collins was stabbed to death. The motive was financial, according to prosecutors. Additional details of the killing and the motive were not immediately available.
Smith’s body was found at her Pocahontas-area home June 4, 2019, after she had been missing for several days, according to police. Days after her body was discovered, O’Donnell was arrested on her way to Smith’s visitation and she was charged with capital murder. Former State Sen. Linda Collins-Smith.
The case made national headlines. Smith served as a state representative and then as a state senator. She started her career as a Democrat, but switched parties after her first election in 2010.
Smith ran for and won a state senate seat in 2014. In 2018, she supported Jan Morgan’s bid to unseat Gov. Asa Hutchinson in the Republican primary. Hutchinson easily defeated Morgan, and Smith was defeated in her own primary by State Sen. James Sturch, R-Batesville.
While awaiting trial, O’Donnell allgedly tried to solicit inmates inside the Jackson County Detention Center to murder several people connected to Smith’s case. Those people included the former Judge Harold Erwin, Prosecutor Henry Boyce and Smith’s husband at the time of her death, Phil Smith, and the woman he married after the murder.
Erwin and Boyce recused themselves from the case as it unfolded. The solicitation for murder charges carried a seven-year sentence and were folded into the 57 years she was sentenced to. O’Donnell is expected to begin her state incarceration immediately. You can also send your suggestion about the content, in the comments section below.
