Was the former Arkansas State Senator Linda Collins' murder personal or political?

The gruesome murder of former Arkansas State Senator Linda Collins made national headlines when her family found her body covered with a tarp in her driveway in June 2019. Her best friend and campaign worker, Rebecca Lynn O’Donnell, was behind the crime.

As investigators searched for evidence, Arkansas struggled to determine if the motive was personal or political. During O'Donnell's trial, prosecutors revealed that the motive was personal and financial, given the close relationship between the two women.

The Dateline episode titled The Hands of a Killer showcases the brutal murder of Linda Collins as the episode airs on NBC on July 12, 2024, at 9 p.m. EST. The official synopsis reads,

"When former Arkansas State Senator Linda Collins is found fatally stabbed outside her home, detectives investigate if her murder is connected to her political career or her personal life; the victim's children speak out about the case."

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Did Rebecca Lynn O’Donnell kill Linda Collins for political reasons?

Episode 21 of season 30 of Dateline showcases the death of Linda Collins at the hands of her best friend, Rebecca Lynn O’Donnell. Rebecca was introduced to Linda through her boyfriend and fiance, Tim Loggains. The two women hit it off while Rebecca supported Linda in her electoral campaigns by carrying out major responsibilities.

According to the US Sun, O'Donnell served as a witness during Linda and her ex-husband, Philip Smith's divorce proceedings. A source mentioned to PEOPLE:

“They were inseparable. If you ever wanted to know what was going on with Linda, you could ask Becky. And vice versa. They did everything together, and they were close confidantes. They called each other ‘sisters,’ even though they weren’t blood relations.”

The two shared an intimate bond which possibly led to a bond of trust over financial matters. While investigations revealed signs of betrayal, Linda's son Butch Smith had alleged that Rebecca had been stealing from the former Senator, per Oxygen.

The authorities found out that Rebecca Lynn O'Donnell had been forging Linda Collins' signatures on her bank documents. An affidavit that was prepared on June 27, 2019, for the application of a search warrant stated that Rebecca had copied Linda's signatures while writing out checks from Collins' bank account.

The authorities wished to locate evidence of certain financial transactions in O'Donnell's residence. As a result, they came up with the proof of three separate transactions in gold or silver in 2018. The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette stated that Rebecca made a total sale of $15,110 while Linda's divorce papers stated that she had close to $24,000 in gold and silver in her house.

The reason behind the unidentified financial crime was determined to be personal as the outlet reported the special prosecutor, Robert Dittrich, to share that Rebecca O'Donnell was possibly escaping arrest. After Rebecca's arrest, she pleaded not guilty multiple times and tried to frame Philip Smith for allegedly setting her up.

Rebecca O'Donnell took a plea deal and admitted to killing her best friend, Linda Collins, sharing,

"I went to Linda's house, and I intentionally killed her and then hid the body."

She continued to maintain innocence after her sentencing and stuck Linda's pictures on her wall, per ABC News.

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Catch all the details about Linda Collins' murder as the Dateline episode airs on NBC on Friday.