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Suspect Charged In Murder of Former Republican State Senator June 18, 2019 via zerohedge.com Arkansas - An arrest has been made in the case of former Arkansas state Senator Linda Collins-Smith, 57, who was one of two state senators who were shot at their homes in a two-day span. State Police and Randolph County Sheriff's deputies announced Friday that they had detained Rebecca Lynn O'Donnell, 48, of Pocahontas, Arkansas, in connection with Collins-Smith's slaying. O'Donnell has been charged with capital murder in the case. Collins-Smith was found fatally shot in her Randolph County home on June 4. The next day, Jonathan Nichols, a former Oklahoma state senator, was found dead in his Oklahoma home following reports of gunfire. The law does not consider the two murders to be related.  Sheriff Deputy escorts Ms. O'Donnell to jailhouse O'Donnell, the accused killer, had worked on the former lawmaker’s campaign and the pair were reportedly "good friends," per CBS. "They traveled together and did grassroots stuff, even after Linda lost her re-election," Ken Yang, a former communications staffer, told CBS News. Collins-Smith was elected to the state House as a Democrat in 2010, but she switched parties in 2011. She was elected to the state Senate in 2014, but lost re-election in a GOP primary. Below is a photo of the victim (left) with her accused killer (right).  The victim's family released a statement saying they were "sickened" that someone so close to Collins-Smith could have been involved in the crime. When her body was found, it was said to be an "advanced state" of decomposition, and it took police two days to identify the body, since they needed to confirm with Collins-Smith's dental records.
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