Disclaimer: The article contains mentions of murder. Reader discretion is advised.
In June 2019, authorities discovered the dead body of former politician Linda Collins outside her house in Pocahontas, Arkansas. Initial reports indicated that Collins died because of gunshot wounds. However, it was later revealed that the killer stabbed the senator to death. After an extensive investigation, authorities arrested Collins’ friend, Rebecca Lynn O’Donnell, for the slaying. The brutal murder case will feature in this week’s episode of Dateline NBC. The episode will air on Friday, July 12, at 9 p.m. ET.
During the initial investigation, Senator Linda Collins’ former press secretary claimed that neighbors heard gunshots a day or two before the police discovered the victim’s body. Arkansas Times reported that authorities initially faced challenges in identifying the body since it had started decomposing when the police arrived. However, they continued the investigations and got hold of the footage from the security camera. Per ABC News, although the cameras were removed, investigators gathered the footage from the security company, which helped them to arrest Rebecca Lynn O’Donnell.
According to another report by ABC News, police discovered Rebecca Lynn O’Donnell holding a bloody knife before tampering with the camera. ABC News reported that the footage made investigators believe that the killer stabbed Linda Collins to death. As a result, police arrested O’Donnell for the murder of the politician and charged her with first-degree murder. At first, she pleaded not guilty to the charges. However, one year later, she pleaded guilty and said she killed her friend. Subsequently, the court sentenced her to 50 years in prison. As of now, O’Donnell is serving her sentence in an Interstate Compacts Facility.
Where is Linda Collins’ killer Rebecca Lynn O’Donnell now?
Arkansas Online reported that Rebecca Lynn O’Donnell was initially held at the McPherson Unit in Newport. However, in October 2020, the outlet stated that the authorities moved her out of state for security reasons. According to the Arkansas Department of Corrections, O’Donnell is currently serving her sentence in an Interstate Compacts Facility.
Apart from pleading guilty to murder, Rebecca Lynn O’Donnell also pleaded guilty to stitching a plan to murder Linda Collins’ ex-husband. Before pleading guilty, she tried telling her prison cellmates that she didn’t murder Collins. However, she told her cellmates that she plans to kill Collins’ ex-husband, Phil Smith, and his new wife. Correspondingly, her cellmates provided the information to the authorities. ABC News further reported that they even told the investigators how O’Donnell was going to pay them for the slayings.
