A woman accused of killing a former state senator will spend the rest of her life in prison.
In a court hearing in Pocahontas Thursday, Rebecca O’Donnell has plead guilty to first degree murder and abuse of a corpse in the death of Linda Collins. O’Donnell had previously plead not guilty in the death, but changed her plea this morning at a hearing at the Randolph County Courthouse. She also plead no contest to two counts of solicitation to commit capital murder at the Jackson County jail after reportedly trying to solicit inmates to kill Collin’s former husband Phil Smith. Collins was found dead June 4, 2019 outside her Randolph County home. When police found her body, they could not immediately confirm Collins’ identity. O’Donnell was arrested June 14th 2019. Judge John Fogleman sentenced O’Donnell to 54 years in prison for the killing of Collins.
