Live By The Sword, Die By The Sword

Curious how this investigation will play out. According to Ballotopedia, she spent much of her legislative career on gun rights advocacy. Collins-Smith and O'Donnell are apparently deeply-intertwined in business matters. Live by the sword, die by the sword....

An Arkansas woman has been arrested in connection with the murder of former state Sen. Linda Collins-Smith, who was found dead in her home earlier this month.

State Police and Randolph County Sheriff’s deputies on Friday announced they detained 48-year-old Rebecca Lynn O’Donnell in the ex-lawmaker’s death. Criminal charges against the suspect are pending, according to a press release from the state police.
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...“This evening our family received news that an arrest was made in connection to the ongoing investigation. We are sickened and upset that someone so close to Linda would be involved in such a terrible, heartless crime,” it read.

...Collins-Smith was first elected to the state senate in 2014 for District 19, which includes eastern Fulton County and all of Izard, Sharp, Independence and Randolph counties. She lost her re-election bid to James Sturch in 2018.

During her time in office, Collins-Smith proposed a controversial bill that would have required people to use the bathroom that corresponds with the gender specified on their birth certificate – similar to a North Carolina bill passed and then repealed in 2017 after widespread protests.

Prior to her time in the Senate, Collins-Smith served a term in the House of Representatives from 2011 to 2013. While she was elected as a Democrat, she switched over the Republican Party just months after taking office.

“She was a passionate voice for her people and a close member of our Republican family,” Arkansas GOP tweeted earlier this month. “We are praying for her loved ones during this difficult time.”