it's an otherwise typical spring day in rural arkansas. >> i remember, it was late in the afternoon. light out still. it was warm. in that area there's not a whole lot of crime. >> 911, what is your emergency? >> i believe somebody's died. >> you believe somebody's died? where at? >> we came to do a wellness check at her house. >> stuff like this doesn't happen here, you know? we're still a safe community. >> under this one? >> yeah. >> she's wrapped up in a blanket. >> looking at the scene and the circumstances around it, it was obvious that it was a murder. >> no question in your mind? >> no, ma'am.

>> the body found tuesday night at a home in pocahontas is that of former state senator linda collins-smith. >> i just collapsed. you know, my world just crumbled in that moment. >> this story is truly one of the biggest whodunnit, that i've seen. >> she said, you know, she had problems with the judge. >> her husband. >> and that's what i said, "your husband?" >> i just want to say, how humbled i am to be your senator. >> do you think her politics might have created enemies for her? >> oh, i'm sure it did. >> did she ever confide in you that she had concerns about her safety? >> yes. >> she had a large number, not just like one or two. she had cameras on the garage side, she had cameras in the back, she had cameras inside. >> the video cameras are motion activated. >> it's almost like something out of that show ghosthunters. is that actually the killer?

small town life, to me, is slower and sweeter somehow. when i was a kid, mom said, 'get outta the house and don't come back 'til the streetlights come on. that was pocahontas. >> we're right on the edge of the river delta, where the foothills to the ozark mountains begin. >> you talk about bible belt country, southern hospitality, you know, that -- that's pocahontas. >> everybody knows everyone. everybody knows if you're doing good or if you're doing bad. it's a very tight community. >> for better or for worse. everybody knows your business. >> that's right, that's right. >> and just outside pocahontas, in the rural countryside, is where linda collins grew up. >> i think it was the summer of 1978.

"grease" was showing and so we all watched "grease." ♪ you're the one ♪ ♪ that i want you are the one i want ooh-ooh-ooh honey ♪ >> and that summer we had a lot of cousins come to visit. linda's dad had an old ford truck, and the whole way home we were singing songs from "grease." linda led the singing. she chose the songs, and all of the cousins was backing her up. >> linda was always the shining star. it was never a quiet moment with linda. she was always a joy to be around. >> my first memories of her, she had pigtails, and she was a total tomboy. and i would think she was daddy's girl more than mama's girl. >> linda's dad was a mechanic, and her mom was a stay-at-home mom. >> they lived out in the country in a small house, kind of like a shack. very modest, but it was a nice, cozy home. >> she didn't have running water

in her house until she was a teenager. but i really think that that helped create the person that she ended up being. >> like a lot of girls in her community, linda got married right out of high school and never went to college. and her kids came along pretty quickly. butch first, and then tate. they were her pride and joy. >> she just always wanted us to have better than what she had. and that was her goal, whatever it took to get there. >> but linda's early marriage doesn't last. it ends in divorce, and linda is raising her two children as a single mother. >> she didn't let being a single mom stop her at all. she was very motivated to give us the best life, to give us everything that she didn't have. >> linda wasn't afraid to work. she worked very hard. >> she started selling tupperware, and then after that, she started selling real estate, and did very well.

>> linda has a certain spark. she is a born saleswoman. >> i say affectionately, she was a spitfire. she wouldn't let you off the hook. i mean, she was pursuing something, she stayed on it. >> she wasn't afraid to speak her mind. she was a colorful person. >> had a red truck, red purse, liked her red lipstick. >> nails, purse, truck, shoes, anything that she could get it red, she probably had it in red. >> linda is ambitious and driven. >> and she meets her match in phil smith, who is an up-and-coming local lawyer. phil and linda get married in a quiet ceremony in 1995. >> when she met phil smith and they became a couple, what was he like for you as a stepdad? >> he didn't become just our stepdad. he was our dad. he was the one that took us to school in the morning. he did all the things that a dad is supposed to do. >> so you were a close family? >> yeah.

>> absolutely. >> very much a church family. we were there sunday morning, sunday evening, wednesday. dad led worship services. they were involved in choir, singing groups. >> i went to church with them, and phil was always fair, level-headed, even-tempered. very intelligent person. and a nice guy. >> phil and linda have a lot of success in business. they're buying and selling real estate around the pocahontas area, and they even wind up buying two motels in town. >> your parents were a power couple in town. >> they really were. >> they worked very well together. >> she very much loved pocahontas. she wanted to see it prosper. >> linda helped get the highway named the rock and roll highway. she named her hotel the rock and roll inn. >> things appear to be going great. linda is running their real estate business. and then in 2009, republican governor, mike huckabee, appoints phil as a judge on the circuit court. >> linda is right there beside

phil, and along the way, she gets the politics bug herself, and decides to run for a seat in the arkansas state legislature. she is a hometown favorite. >> first time i'd ever seen her, she spoke to our county committee in my front yard. and linda, she took her shoes off, typical arkansas, uh, barefooted. and that's how i met her. >> in 2010, running as a democrat, linda wins a seat in the arkansas house of representatives. >> linda ran as a democrat. she was elected, and she did not fit in with the democrat majority, at that time, with her views. >> and i've always wanted it, to provide our county. >> linda is in the middle of her first term when she makes a move that totally upends the

political landscape. >> linda collins-smith decided to switch parties from democrat to republican. >> i'm here, today, to announce that i have joined the republican party of arkansas. it was a significant move, because no lawmaker had really done that before in the state of arkansas. she was burning bridges with her old party. >> any time a sitting elected official changes parties, it's a big deal. >> she's elected as a democrat, and then she changed her affiliation to republican. was that controversial? >> it was very controversial. in some senses, i guess it just kind of showed her personality and how strong and independent that she could make that decision knowing that it could potentially be a career destroyer. >> i don't think it's going to hurt me. as a matter of fact, i think it's going to help. >> do you think her politics might have created enemies for her? >> oh, i'm sure it did. >> but did she have the kind of enemies who would be willing to kill? if you have copd, ask your doctor about breztri. breztri gives me better breathing and helps prevent flare-ups.

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she's only served one term in the state legislature, but linda collins-smith is ambitious. now she wants to run for a seat in the state senate. >> in 2014, she was running for state senate. she had called me to ask if i would be part of her team, you know, help her get elected for state senate. >> she had her friends actively campaigning for her with signs and standing out by the road.

>> we were "voluntold" that we were going to help campaign. we stood on the side of the road with signs. we went door to door knocking. we did the phone calls. >> the parades. >> the parades. >> in november 2014, she wins a seat in the arkansas state senate, taking 58% of the vote. >> she set a standard of being a real conservative. she was very adamant and passionate about economic development in rural arkansas. being pro-life was definitely one of the most important things to her. >> linda is so tough she earns the nickname among her colleagues as "the bulldog." >> she was very strong on the life issue. she was very strong on reducing taxes. i mean, traditional conservative issues. >> she always stood up for the second amendment. was very close to the second amendment groups. >> we appreciate she stopped by here to blow a horn. great to be here. >> on the transgender issue, she did run a so-called "bathroom bill." >> during linda's first term in

the senate, she finds herself at the center of controversy. >> senate bill 774 has already been dubbed another bathroom bill. >> she proposes a bill, at the state level, that would regulate the use of bathrooms by transgender people. >> this bill is truly about the safety and protecting dignity of those children or visitors to our state or all citizens when they are in public facilities. >> you are targeting us, making us even more marginalized than we already are. >> linda was loud. you knew what she believed in. you knew she was passionate about that issue, and she wasn't going to sit silently if someone opposed her. >> as linda's professional and political life are really thriving, in her personal life she's having difficulty. her second marriage to phil is dissolving. >> did you know that she was unhappy? >> i would say that we knew it wasn't a typical relationship. they're very good at business. whenever it came to running the

business, when it came to the politics side of it, they were great. >> a good team. >> yeah. great team. but it wasn't that loving relationship that you would expect between a husband and a wife. >> after 20 years of marriage, linda and phil decide to separate. and though they've got lots of personal struggles, linda throws herself into her work. >> one of the hallmarks of smalltown america, is that local politicians are unbelievably accessible at all hours to their constituents. >> she was plugged into her community. they knew they can call her. they knew they could ask her for a favor and she would be there. >> linda was my senator, my state senator. she and i shared political views. had a lot of common interests and goals from a legislative

perspective, and that was the basis of the start of our friendship. >> enter tim loggains. like linda, he also grew up in arkansas, and he soon becomes one of her staunchest supporters. >> it wasn't uncommon to meet somewhere for lunch every once in a while and talk about laws, and legislation, and what she hoped to accomplish. >> linda's friend tim tells us that during one of those lunches, the conversation pivoted strangely from politics into the personal. and linda confides that she desperately needs his help. >> she breaks down crying. completely out of character. and i asked her, you know, "linda, what's wrong?" she said, you know, she had problems with the judge. >> her husband? >> and that's what i said, "your husband?" she was fearful of her safety. and she said, "tim, can you come and help me move some of my stuff out of his house, and can you look at security issues that i can take to ensure my safety?" >> did she ever confide in you

that she had concerns about her safety? >> yes. after they separated, she shared concerns that she was worried about him coming by the house and things like that. >> in fact, a police report indicates that linda called the police because phil came to her house uninvited. phil smith denies that allegation. still, linda's friend tim, who is a retired law enforcement officer, offers to help her beef up security at her home. >> and she asked me to come to her house. i'm in a relationship. i can't be having lunch and going to another woman's house without explaining to my girlfriend what's going on. so, when i went to her house, i took becky. >> becky o'donnell is tim's longtime, live-in girlfriend. becky also grew up in pocahontas. >> we went to grade school and

high school together, so we knew each other basically our whole lives. >> tim and becky agree to help linda beef up the security at her home. they change the locks and then they help her install a wireless security camera system. >> there's actual video captured of tim and becky installing those cameras. >> my mom, she is a single female living alone in a house just outside of town. so, that mixed with being worried that our dad was coming over to the house when he wasn't supposed to be there, led her to decide to go ahead and install some cameras. >> you can actually hear linda security video.ces on the - >> they're dead is why they're not working. >> these two are not working. yeah. and the fence isn't working. >> the fence doesn't work. >> so, we had them on every corner of the house. i put some out in the trees facing the front door. we had, i want to say, nine or ten cameras we bought that covered all angles, all windows,

all entrances to give her a sense of security. >> and they were motion sensitive? >> yes. >> look. it finally came on. >> did it? >> look! >> and did you feel then that she would be pretty safe, from what you could tell? >> i felt like the cameras would help her, and certainly give her a sense of, "hey, there's an intruder." yes. >> and it's not long before linda brings becky in a little closer, asking her to help with other projects. >> linda and becky were, had became very close. becky, she actually helped linda run her motel business. and she was keeping the books and the financial records, and doing the payroll, and all of that at linda's business for her. >> wherever, you know, linda needed her that's where rebecca was. >> and linda would come to depend on becky after she files for divorce from phil smith.

>> it was a nasty divorce. there's hundreds of thousands of dollars on the line and multiple properties. >> it isn't just money at stake. phil's career as a judge is also on the line. >> i've investigated judge philip smith. never did i hear anything like some of the allegations that linda presented. that's not what we had seen before. >> one thing that linda would reveal about phil would almost certainly threaten his career as a judge. >> i'm going to ask you this stupid question only because it's been presented to me and i believe it's an issue. >> okay. ng to remove fabric odors, but my clothes still smelled. until i finally found new downy rinse and refresh! unlike many other products, downy rinse & refresh doesn't cover odors or leave residues... it helps remove them. it's safe on all fabrics and gentle on skin -- just add to your fabric softener tray. downy rinse & refresh helps remove odors up to 3 times better than detergent alone, so fabrics look and smell clean. try new downy rinse & refresh.

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after 20 years of marriage, linda collins-smith, a well-known state senator in arkansas, files for divorce from her husband phil, a long time judge in the state. >> at the time, it just sounded like someone who was in a very acrimonious divorce. >> according to court documents, linda and phil have about $2 million dollars in assets. >> it was a messy divorce. there was quite a bit of money that they were trying to split up. there was a lot of struggling over property and money and things of that nature. >> so, they had gone from being this power couple to being this angry couple? >> yes. >> i knew she was scared and felt like she was isolated and was concerned. and that's why she did some things like putting up cameras. >> things get so acrimonious, that linda and phil file a mutual restraining order against each other.

>> i'm going to the rock and roll inn to make contact with the manager. >> a year to the day that linda files for divorce, the police are called to one of their motels. >> what's your name? >> i'm becky o'donnell. >> oh, okay, okay. >> yes. i'm her assistant, friend. i work for linda. >> becky is recorded on police body camera telling police that it was phil who showed up there. >> he's gone? >> yeah, he left. he knows he's not supposed to be on this property. i've got the -- a copy of the restraining order in the car if you need to see it. >> yeah, i will probably need to see that. >> phil would later say that he wasn't there to harass linda or anybody else. he was just there to pick up his mail. >> i appreciate it. >> uh-huh. anytime. >> the divorce is pretty messy, and it drags on for two years. linda and phil seem to fight over everything, their motels, rental properties, even a collection of valuable coins.

>> mom and dad made the decision a while ago, that they were going to start investing in some silver and gold. >> and that was just put aside some place you didn't know? >> basically, in a box, locked up somewhere. >> it was just wild. it's gotten to the point, it's so crazy, that you guys have to calm down, you know, be adults, and get through this. >> tensions between the couple are at their highest when linda and phil meet in divorce court. >> phil's like the picture of the southern gentleman and judge. linda, you know, can't finish a sentence without going to the next subject. in a courtroom, that's not acceptable behavior. >> the divorce court judge accuses linda of withholding critical information about the values of their assets, about the finances and about their shared properties. >> the judge was requesting information during the divorce and the judge didn't think mom was giving enough information and -- >> in a timely manner. >> and so basically, the judge was saying she was in contempt

of court. >> linda is already under tremendous pressure because of the divorce trial. but then it ratchets up. the divorce court judge threatens to hold her in contempt. and that could land her in jail. >> mom was basically afraid that she was about to be sent to jail. and so, to make sure that the business could still operate, she'd given power of attorney to tim, because he was already involved with a lot of day-to-day dealings and stuff so that he could go ahead and still pmake sure that the business would operate. >> and then, as the divorce is going on, becky even testifies in the divorce trial. >> she did. >> so, you were both in her corner. >> oh absolutely, yes. we were friends. yeah. >> raise your right hand for me. do you solemnly swear or affirm to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth? >> i do. >> thank you. >> but the divorce would have far-reaching consequences for phil. a bombshell revelation buried in the depositions from the divorce case comes out, thanks to linda.

>> i'm going to ask you a sticky question only because it's been presented to me and i believe it's an issue. >> okay, that's fine. >> have you ever viewed pornography on that computer in your office? >> yes. >> you have? >> mm-hmm. >> you asked the question, "have you ever" and the answer to that is yes. but not in a long time and as a matter of fact, well, that's fine, however you've got it. you can ask the questions and i'll answer them. >> phil's admission that he had watched porn at work on his work computer comes to attention of arkansas' independent judicial conduct commission. >> the end result was a sanction with a permanent ban from being on the bench. so, it's essentially the end of the road for us with a judge. it's always a big blow to judges to be sanctioned. >> so even though phil had already retired from the bench, this means that he could never return and serve as a judge in

arkansas ever again. >> phil smith told abc news, "the jddc did its job, and i agreed with, and accepted its determination." >> what were her feelings about her divorce and moving on from that? >> she wasn't happy at all with the divorce. she was bitter. she held a real grudge. she didn't feel like justice was done. >> in fact, linda was so unhappy with the division of their properties, she went on to appeal the divorce court settlement. she still owed phil nearly $400,000, so by no means were things over between the two of them. >> 2018 rolled around, and linda collins-smith had to stand for re-election as a republican to the senate. >> i need your vote. tell everyone, go to the polls, we still have time. >> she ran a campaign. a lot of people thought she didn't have her heart in it, and she wound up losing the race by only about 600 votes. and that was the end of her

political career. >> hey! just taking a minute to say, moving out of my office today. i just want to say how humbled i am to be your senator. how proud i was to serve you. >> linda is no doubt disappointed that she lost her state senate seat. but she soon starts looking in other directions towards other opportunities, like spending time with the grandkids. >> ready? on your mark. go! >> i think she was starting to see that there were other paths and that she was still going to be able to do the things that you're passionate about. >> happy new year! >> keep in mind, this is the height of the trump administration. linda is a hardcore conservative. she goes to washington to meet with a special interest group to talk to them about a job. >> and i told her, i said, "you know, you can go give d.c. a try. go put your stamp on it." so, i think she was excited about that.

>> linda tells friends and family that she's flying to washington, d.c., but then somehow she vanishes into thin air. >> she had disappeared. kind of dropped off the radar. the family could not get a hold of her. >> what's going on? >> she's not answering her phone. the kids can't get a hold of her. we're getting worried about linda. >> there's something that's stained all over the floor. >> in the video, that looks like blood. our ancestors had power, our ancestors had hope and our ancestors had ambition. born in 1847, formally enslaved, started buying land, was in the house of representatives. we didn't know our family was part of black reconstruction. exactly. okay, seriously. finding out this family history, these things become anchors for your soul. [a sad melody playing] voicemail: hey, bug.

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linda collins-smith is at a crossroads. she's just lost her senate seat, and she's newly divorced. >> your mom had gone through this very, very bitter divorce. now she's on her own.

what kind of an effect had that had on her? >> i think she was having a hard time finding herself again. she had lost her last race. and so, she wasn't a sitting senator anymore. and she was just really trying to figure out where she was going to go next. you have to remember that linda loves politics. she caught the bug, and she is nowhere near ready to give up on it. >> so, in may of 2019, linda is in washington, d.c., where she's in discussions about possibly joining a conservative special interest group. >> and i told her, i said, "go do something exciting. and it's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity." >> she came home on a monday, which was also memorial day. i had talked to mom, knew the plan was that becky was going to pick her up. becky was going to bring her home from the airport, and i had text with her, and she let me

know that she had landed. >> had you had any contact with her? >> i knew that she had made it home. but past that, that was the last i had heard. >> tate keeps texting and texting her mom, but she's getting no response. and even more mysterious, her texts don't even seem to be getting through to linda's phone. >> mom had an iphone and i have an iphone, and the text messages went through green. and so, for an iphone to iphone where your text messages are always blue, to get a green one, you're like, "is their phone off? what's going on?" >> the mystery only deepens when linda goes dark on social media. >> you know, i had checked facebook and twitter, and there wasn't any activity. >> was that unusual for her not to post? >> oh yeah, absolutely, yeah. she was very active on social media. >> she had disappeared, kind of dropped off the radar. she was no longer posting stuff on social media. the family could not get ahold of her. >> they were looking for linda. they didn't know what was going on.

they don't know where she's at, she's not answering her phone. the kids can't get a hold of her. we're getting worried about linda. >> a full week has now gone by with no word from their mother, so linda's kids now reach out to her close friend, becky. becky picked linda up from the airport, and was the one who brought her back to pocahontas. >> becky was the person you would reach out to if you wanted to get ahold of mom if you couldn't get ahold of her. >> linda has been seeing a new man, so becky tells tim that maybe that's where linda is, at the new guy's house. >> becky said that linda was going to stay with a boyfriend. and where that boyfriend lived at, there was no cell service. did that seem plausible to you? >> yes. i mean, i had no reason to doubt that. >> by now, tate is beside herself. she's frantic. she asks becky to go to her mom's home to see if she's there.

i had texted becky and said, "can you go by the house and see if her truck's there? can you go by?" and so becky's like, "oh yeah, i can go by there." >> and so later in that day i asked if she had actually gone by and she said, "oh no, i've not gone by. i've got to go fill a shift at the motel and i'll go by." >> so, i had text butch and i was like, "you've got to go over to mom's house and just check things out." and i let becky know that butch was on her way. and suddenly becky was like, "oh, well i can go now too." and so becky, i guess went about the same time. >> when they get to linda's house, her red pickup truck is there. but the front door is locked, and she's not answering. >> becky told me, "well, i went by linda's today to check on her. she's not there. she's not answering the door." >> another day goes by, and strangely, still no word from linda. her worried father gets together with her son, butch, and they go

to her house and they get in. >> i could see where her suitcase was there with the tags on it, where she flew in from dk, and that was all there. didn't find her purse and didn't find her cell phone. went through all the rooms and didn't find anything. they get into linda's kitchen, and it's a mess. but it's a mess because the house is undergoing massive renovations. >> the house was under renovation. there was holes in the floor, there was electrical hanging from the ceiling. and the kitchen, there was only a few cabinets that were still left, bare wood flooring. >> and it's in that kitchen, on that bare wood floor, that they see something that grabs their attention. >> and there's this something, this stain all over the floor. >> what is this on the floor? it looked like somebody had dropped a coffee pot and just, it had sprayed out from just in a semicircular path out from there.

>> some dark splatter. >> some dark splatter just everywhere. >> butch gets out his phone and shoots video of this really strange, large stain on the kitchen floor. >> the lights are out. and it was so dark. it was real, just kind of hard just to figure out what it is. >> butch sends the video to his sister tate, who's at home in little rock, worried. >> and i show my husband, he's like, "that doesn't look like coffee." in the video it's coming through as, "that looks like blood." >> were you starting to panic? >> oh yeah. i was very panicked at that point. >> so, you walk outside. >> we walk outside, we're going to leave. and my grandpa said, "hey, do you smell that? it smells like an animal died." so, i went over there to it and raised the tarp up. >> butch is horrified, shaken to the core, of what he finds under that tarp. >> we have to call the police. >> 911, what is your emergency? >> and i just collapsed, you know, and my world just crumbled

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it's june of 2019, and linda collins has been missing for a week, after returning home from a trip on memorial day. >> linda's father, and her son, butch smith, had went over to her house to do a wellness check, to try to locate her, find out what was going on. >> her family finds a strange, dark stain on the kitchen floor but there no sign of linda. >> they were searching, and they could smell an odor outside the house.

and butch had looked underneath the tarp that was covering up some building material in the driveway of the house. >> i went over there to it and raised the tarp up. and i was just kind of in shock. i saw my mom there. and she was wrapped up in one of my blankets from whenever i was younger. >> butch found his mother's body in an advanced state of decomposition. >> so, she had been dead several days? >> yes. >> an emotional butch now calls his sister tate to break the devastating news. >> i just collapsed. my world just crumbled in that moment. >> we have to call the police. >> 911, what is your emergency? >> i believe somebody's died. it's linda collins-smith. >> and that's the only thing i could think about. there was no other thoughts running through my head besides just the pure shock of what i saw. >> what is your name, honey? >> butch smith. i'm her son. and i'm here with my grandpa, her dad. we've been trying to find her

for the last few days, almost a week and we've not heard from her, so we came to do a wellness check at her house. i think i found a body. >> best i can remember, it was late in the afternoon. light out still. it was warm. in that area, there's not a whole lot of crime. we hardly never get any calls out there. >> i received a call from dispatch, then i went to the scene. >> central dispatch. >> butch smith just called and linda collins-smith out on the yard wrapped in a blanket under a tarp. >> when i pulled up to linda collins-smith's house, i noticed some vehicles in the yard. then i seen some building materials that appeared to have a tarp over it. >> secure that scene best you can. >> 101, i've already got it secured. >> 10-4. >> there's going to be something

up with this. we are going to need cid out here. >> possible murder up here. >> looking at the scene and the circumstances around it, it was obvious that it was a murder. >> no question in your mind? >> no, ma'am. >> got a lady, linda collins-smith. she's out here in a big, long -- i'm going to say 10, 12-foot tarp, over it all. and she's wrapped up in a blanket and put underneath it. >> linda collins-smith's father was there. her son butch was there. and of course, they were upset. >> when i talked to them on the scene, their demeanor appeared to be that they were in shock. and they just seemed to be stunned with what they had found. >> all right, sir. everybody's on their way. due to the fact that we're going to have to look into this, i'm going to have y'all back up to the road.

thank you. >> sure. okay. >> the fact that a gruesome crime like this would happen in such a small town, in northeast arkansas, that was a big shock. >> a homicide investigation now underway after human remains were found outside the home. >> the body found tuesday night at a home in pocahontas, is that of former state senator linda collins-smith. >> this was a person who had been a significant figure in arkansas politics over many years. a controversial figure. so your first thought goes to, who could have done this, and why? >> it's a pretty bizarre crime scene. why would someone kill linda inside the house, but then decide to hide her body outside? >> you start thinking about who the heck could have done this? and my first answer was that my dad did it. >> you always think of who has the most to gain. and with the divorce being disputed, i said, "you know, it was my dad." >> you're thinking your dad killed your own mom. >> yeah. >> that had to be hard to even

say. >> absolutely. >> it just felt like you were living in some kind of virtual reality. >> it's some alternate reality. >> where you were in some tv show or something where all this was happening, but it wasn't really your life. >> so as word of linda's death spreads, tim goes home to break the news to becky to tell her that her closest friend is dead. >> i told becky that they had found linda's body. >> and how did becky react? >> she started crying immediately. i mean, we both knew who had killed linda, i thought. >> you were sure you knew who the murderer was? >> linda told me he was gonna murder her anyway, so i believed it. >> so, your thoughts went right to her ex-husband? >> yes. >> she said if anything happened to her, that if she ended up dead or somebody killed her, that it was phil. well, you don't take that that seriously. you know? you don't think she's going to

be killed. but, again, she said it, so -- >> just days after linda's murder, another state legislator is found dead. this time, in neighboring oklahoma. >> jonathan nichols, the former state senator and ou vice president, found dead inside his norman home last night from a gunshot wound. >> two republican state legislators found dead within days of each other? is there a connection? and who might be in danger now? >> was it just coincidence? or was there some sort of a serial killer targeting state politicians? >> i gathered a small team of deputies and state troopers and we immediately set up surveillance. >> you were working feverishly against the clock at that point. >> absolutely. because linda's visitation was later that afternoon. our pastor had asked me if there was any kind of security concerns or anything, and i remember telling him that, "if something don't change between now and the funeral service,

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secure that scene best you can. >> 101, i've already got it secured. >> we are going to need cid out here. >> possible murder up here. >> it was a nasty divorce. there's hundreds of thousands of dollars on the line. >> you're thinking your dad killed your own mom? >> and then there's another bombshell, completely out of left field, and no suspects. >> two republican state legislators found dead within days of each other? >> people were like, is this some sort of national killing? is this a political assassination? >> that took this story and absolutely blew it sky high. >> investigators are closing in

on a suspect, and it's somebody who is never, ever mentioned in all those theories. >> you can hear the audio of the murder. >> it's almost like something out of that show "ghosthunters." is this the killer? >> all that stuff on tv, it doesn't happen. except in this case, it pretty much all happened! >> we gotcha. we gotcha. you can -- you can quit playing stupid now. we gotcha. >> developing news out of northeast arkansas tonight as we come on the air, a former state senator is found dead. her death is being investigated as a murder. >> this one? yeah. >> investigators learn that linda collins-smith was stabbed to death. >> this was a very violent, angry murder that had occurred.

you know, any time someone grabs a knife and stabs somebody to death with it, it is very personal. >> we never actually found the murder weapon itself. it was obvious to us that someone had tried to clean the crime scene up. on the outside, you could see where linda's body had been moved to the driveway. >> so you could see what appeared to be foul play and someone who's trying to cover their tracks? >> yes, it was obvious. >> the first thing investigators do is bring in anyone they can think of for questioning, even linda's own family. including her dad, benny, who admitted that he and his daughter weren't on the best of terms when she died. >> when did you all have a falling out? >> well, it's been -- i forgot. i don't know just exactly. it's been about eight years ago. >> in the beginning, everybody

was a suspect because we did not know who done it. >> your mom and dad went through a real bad divorce. >> real bad. it's still a bad divorce. >> and it's still bad, yeah. >> and it was not settled yet. >> investigators, of course, that's one of the questions they ask you is, "who do you think could have done it?" >> what's your gut feeling about this? what do you think? be honest with me. >> immediately, it was that my dad hired someone to kill her. >> okay. >> because she had said it several times, that she was worried that that's -- that's what was going to happen. >> investigators hear plenty of speculation about phil smith, linda's ex- husband. his reputation as a judge was forever tarnished when he admitted that he had watched porn on his work computer. now that information came out during the course of a really nasty divorce. the divorce included financial battles, and also, allegations of abuse. >> and what did you say to the state police? >> everything that linda had ever told me.

>> she was afraid of her husband, she feared that he might kill her? >> yes. >> the difficult part for me was that my reaction wasn't "who could have done this?" my reaction was like, "oh my god, what if he did this?" >> phil smith has always denied harming or threatening linda. he told abc news in a statement that "he was never physically violent or emotionally abusive towards linda." he refused repeated requests from abc news to be interviewed but at the time of linda's murder, he was anxious to speak with police. >> randolph county central dispatch. >> yes, ma'am, this is phil smith, and i need to talk to the sheriff. >> in reference to what? >> very personal matter. let's do this. can you ask the sheriff to call phil smith? >> i sure will. >> i actually talked to phil smith on the phone that night. and phil was immediately very emotional, and very cooperative. you know, "whatever you need

from me, i am absolutely here to help you in whatever i can possibly help with." >> did you believe him? >> yes. >> but investigators aren't ruling anyone out. >> and we have this saying in police work, one thing you learn to do is you always follow the evidence. >> right. right. >> and that's what we're gonna do. >> right. yeah. >> then, the very next day after linda's body is found, there are tv reports about an oklahoma state legislator who was also found dead. >> jonathan nichols, the former state senator and ou vice president, found dead in his norman home last night from a gunshot wound. >> could the two be related? two republican state legislators found dead within days of each other? >> it was a huge coincidence. is there something going on? it turned out it was a suicide. so, we were very quickly able to

dismiss any type of conspiracy between the two state senators' deaths. >> and then, you know, there's a gag order, that was put on the case. >> no suspects have been named and an extraordinary gag order imposed in the case is preventing the release of any information. >> and so that didn't help with all the rumors. >> i have covered crime cases around the country for abc news for almost a decade. i have never encountered a gag order like this. abc news decided to fight this gag order. we were trying to learn, is the public in danger? >> the judge did file a gag order. however, it was being challenged by abc national news and the arkansas press association. >> people were wondering, in a case where a prime suspect is a judge, whether maybe this gag order is a function of the judiciary trying to protect itself.

>> and that almost led people to begin to suspect judge smith all the more. that maybe there's a cover-up going on? >> yes. >> i have a brief statement i'm going to read. at the end of that statement, we will not be taking any questions. this is all the information we can give you at this point. are . >> it added a lot of mystery and distrust. >> while that fight goes on, the media and the public have no idea that investigators have learned something that might be critical to cracking the case. the murder may have been captured on one of those security cameras in linda's home. >> you think there's cameras at the -- >> yes, she -- she had a lot of cameras, not just like one or two. she had cameras on the garage side, she had cameras in the back, she had cameras inside. >> we needed to see those videos as we believed that those videos hold evidence on who was there and who murdered linda collins-smith.

>> there's only one little problem. while those brackets are still there, the cameras are not. >> one of the things that i immediately noticed over on the right corner, right underneath the soffit of the house there, there's a mounting bracket where a camera was located at one time. >> of course, we don't know if the camera's been gone for a year or for 24 hours. >> and so that's where putting on the investigator hat, can we get that video from somewhere else? is there information that was somehow in the cloud that we may be able to pull from? >> they find out that video is stored somewhere, at a security company in los angeles. the video is eventually shipped to arkansas. >> we immediately had our computer tech person pull that up, and we were all sitting in the room, watching in real time what he's going through, and he's going through the files. >> the video cameras were motion

activated. the wind was blowing that day, which moved the tarp and kicked the camera off. >> and you can't see it, but you could hear the audio of the murder. >> the audio is so graphic and so disturbing that "20/20" has decided not to play it. >> i mean, as bad as it is to listen to, it was huge as far as an investigative team to have that. >> could you hear anybody else's voice? >> you could hear the second voice, and you could not really make out exactly who it was. >> and then another clue captured on video. it's almost like something out of that show "ghost hunters." >> there was actually a video that showed a person coming into the house that was covering themselves in a bed sheet. >> is this the killer? as investigators keep watching, they can't believe what they see next!

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everyone who knew linda collins-smith knew red was her favorite color. she always wore those red outfits. she drove that red pick-up truck everywhere she could. and true to form, she wanted to be buried in a red casket. >> so many mourners turn out for linda's viewing, that they have to move it to a bigger church.

>> the whole town was -- was there at the sutton baptist church, paying their respects, you know. >> among those who are making their way to the viewing is linda's close friend, becky o'donnell, who's driving to the church with her now fiance, tim loggains. >> did you think she was just in shock? >> she seemed in shock, yes. it seemed like a grief process. >> investigators have told linda's family that the killer may very well be amongst the mourners. >> and the whole time, you know, you've got police that are literally sitting over your shoulder, just watching and looking for everybody because we didn't know who it was. >> but linda's family has no idea that at that very moment, investigators are closing in on a suspect. and it's somebody who was never, ever mentioned in all those theories. >> just right across from these grain bins right here. >> suddenly, on that highway on the way to the church, flashing lights.

sheriff bell, along with his partner is pulling over the suspect. >> we took them out basically at gunpoint, ordered them to get out of the vehicle, and ordered her to walk back to me. >> of all people, it's linda's close friend, becky! >> i was able to take her in custody right there at that point. >> it makes no sense to me. >> and what happens with you at that point? >> well, i was free to go. >> what are you feeling? >> yeah, i'm mad. i'm upset, i'm scared. and my fear was that they were trying to cover for the judge and trying to pin it on becky. >> hi, becky. >> hi. >> sit right here. >> becky, still in the outfit she was wearing to the memorial,

is brought into the interrogation room. >> i'm going to lay it all out there for you, okay? >> okay. >> about the death of linda. >> so, tell me what you know? >> not without a lawyer. >> that's your right. >> that's your right. we're going to respect that right. but i want you to know, you realize right now, you're under the arrest for the murder of linda. you understand that? >> we gotcha. >> we gotcha. we got video of you. >> looking at that interrogation tape, it's not clear what they have, but they have something. they have something incriminating. they have some sort of evidence and they want to show it to becky. >> you can quit playing stupid now! we gotcha. you're not free to go, you're going to go to jail. >> stand up. >> this is channel 7 news at 10:00. >> arkansas state police along with the randolph county sheriff's department arrest a woman in connection to the murder of former state senator linda collins. >> her best friend in politics,

her best friend in life, that took this story and absolutely blew it sky high. >> well, i immediately went to facebook. her profile picture has linda in it, and they were so close their heads touched in the picture. i don't think you can get any closer than that. >> but becky doesn't admit anything. on the day of becky's arraignment, there are no cameras allowed inside and the gag order issued after linda's murder, is still in effect. so, there are no details about the investigation or what was found on that video from the home security system. >> it was a big deal. i mean, there were -- the courtroom was packed. >> rebecca o'donnell was charged with capital murder, abuse of a corpse, and tampering with evidence. >> o'donnell's attorney entered a not guilty plea to the charges

during her arraignment, and the state of arkansas is seeking the death penalty. >> did you visit becky? >> sure. >> this is so frustrating. >> think about how it is for me. >> stay strong baby. >> baby, that's all i can do. >> i love you. i believe in you. >> what did she say to you? >> she maintained that she was being set up. she maintained that they were covering for the ex-husband. >> it was remarkable how bold the supporters of becky were in speaking about how she's absolutely not guilty. >> there's nothing but support for you on -- on social media. >> hey, let me tell you, i'm just going to tell you one thing. if i was on the outside looking in, i would say, "oh, wow." >> he was her biggest supporter. he just said there was no way, you know, she could've done

it. >> we'll talk later. okay? >> okay, baby. i love you. >> same to you. >> this is "good morning america." >> what a story this is. >> yes, good morning to you all. and you're about to hear the fiance right now unequivocally stand by his woman. >> this is now a huge national story. a shocking mystery that turned heads. so, a state senator is dead, her best friend charged with her murder. we are all over this for "gma." i get an exclusive interview with becky's fiance, tim loggains. when i did it, of course, because of that gag order, no one knows anything about whatever evidence there is or isn't. >> i just told her they found linda dead. and she collapsed. >> how did becky react? >> two or three minutes of just tears, and "oh, my god, i can't believe it." >> he was focused on the idea that becky was innocent. and you know they're not just going to pluck a speck out of

nowhere. there's got to be something. >> i hope you can find the answer because i don't know. i mean, either she is a best actress in the world and a sociopath and completely fooled me, or there's not a chance she did this. and i'm going with there's not a chance she did this. >> what was your hope by going public and speaking nationally about -- >> stopping the cover-up. >> but when it comes to this supposed cover up, there's something that tim loggains and other people supporting becky just don't know. a very dark secret from becky's past. >> i just couldn't believe she was trying to have me killed. detect this: living with hiv, i learned i can stay undetectable with fewer medicines. that's why i switched to dovato. dovato is for some adults who are starting hiv-1 treatment or replacing their current hiv-1 regimen. detect this: no other complete hiv pill uses fewer medicines to help keep you undetectable than dovato.

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a woman arrested in the killing of former senator linda collins has been charged with capital murder. rebecca o'donnell appeared before a judge this morning. >> after her arrest, becky is being held in a local jail, and with the case still under seal, there are a lot of unanswered questions. >> it was basically, you know,

no questions, no answers, no nothing. >> and rumors only grow when three judges and prosecutors handling the case recuse themselves. >> well, the arkansas supreme court is assigning a new judge to preside over the trial of the woman accused of murdering former state senator linda collins. >> why would a judge be appointed to this case and then suddenly jump off? what's going on? >> there are people recusing themselves. do you think it's falling apart? >> i thought they were getting desperate, sure. >> the murder trial involving former state senator linda collins will get a new prosecutor. >> it seemed to me like, "you know what? they've overreached. can't prove it."tsy, and they - >> of course, tim and the general public as well, know nothing about what the sheriff has found out about something that went on in the past between becky and her former husband, jeff o'donnell. >> in 2007, i was working in

little rock. when i found out that becky had a hit out on me for my life insurance, i was shocked! >> jeff and becky were married for 20 years. they had two children. and up until this moment, jeff says though they had problems, he thought they had a pretty good relationship. >> i just couldn't believe that she was trying to have me killed. >> it was investigated by the asp. she met with the investigators, and they ask her, "on a scale of 1 to 10 how serious were you about killing your husband?" and she said, "i was a five or six, but i was drunk." >> there was never any charges filed. i don't think they had enough evidence. i didn't press charges myself. maybe i should have, but i didn't. >> our first priority in an investigation is to stop the murder from happening. we just had to go straight to

becky, and explain to her that if anything happened to her then-husband, she would obviously be top of our list of suspects. >> that ended our marriage. becky and i had to stay in contact. we had a couple kids still in school. i doubt if anybody really knew issues of becky's past. >> you don't always see that side of people, especially when they're as good at it as becky o'donnell. she is very good at her manipulation. >> but investigators are starting to see through the manipulation from long ago, and they're starting to suspect that recently, becky's been stealing money from linda. and if linda had figured that out, coul becky have killed her to keep that secret safe? >> that's what it appears, is that it was about the money. >> linda had discovered that there were some discrepancies in

her father's checking account. >> when i looked at the, the deposit and what, well, how much was in the bank -- >> okay. >> it didn't, it didn't jibe. >> okay. >> why would becky come to mind? >> becky is the person that handled all of linda's money. >> i believe linda caught becky taking money from her and, uh, finally started asking questions. and knowing linda's personality, it probably wasn't a pretty conversation. >> i think that becky reached a point to where she decided there was no other way out. >> other than to kill her friend? >> correct. >> becky is still admitting nothing. she's standing behind her not guilty plea. now, she may be silent on the outside, but inside the local jail where she's awaiting trial, she's doing a lot of talking.

>> she was talking to all her cellmates and she was telling them that she's not guilty. she didn't -- didn't do anything. >> i think it was very clear that rebecca o'donnell did not want to go down for this killing without a fight. >> and what becky tries to do behind bars is even more unthinkable. a brutal murder, and then a plot while inside jail to commit more murder. that's mind-blowing stuff. >> absolutely.

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it's summer 2019, and becky o'donnell is charged with first degree capital murder. she's in jail at the jackson county detention center in newport, arkansas.

>> a lot of people there for drugs and, like, robberies and just stuff like that really. becky o'donnell looks very put together. usually when you're put together and you're in prison and you're not on drugs or anything like that, then you've done something, like, harm somebody. >> we talked to two of becky's fellow inmates, melissa and cassandra. >> she had pictures of miss linda on her wall in her cell. that was her best friend. and she didn't do this to her, so said. >> i really didn't talk to her for probably about the first month or so. something was off about her. and i felt she was manipulative and i didn't even know she was in there for what she was in there for. >> melissa and cassandra tell us that becky seemed to have more commissary money than the rest of the other inmates. and they said she would spread the wealth around.

>> she had a lot of commissary, so she gave it away to everybody. we had coffee and noodles and honey-buns. >> and cokes, and candy bars, and, soap, and shampoo. you know, just everything. >> she just wanted to buy friendship. >> i would ask questions as in, like, i mean, "well, why are you a suspect anyway?" >> she said it was a whole government thing. she said that phil smith, he's the one that had killed her. and that he was trying to frame her for it. >> everyday it became, um, frantically trying to get out of there in some way, shape, form, or fashion. >> but melissa and cassandra say one day, becky had come to them with a plan of her own to get out of the mess she was in. >> she comes up with this plan that she approaches another inmate and asks her to help her because she wants to have phil smith killed.

this just gets bigger and bigger. >> and it doesn't just start and end with killing phil. she tells them that phil is remarried, that his new wife's name is mary, and if she's there when you do it, you should kill her too. >> for phil's wife, mary, she said to pack a bag and make it look like she had just left town. and if she was there, just go ahead and get rid of her too. like, she doesn't take anybody's life for -- like it's valuable at all. >> wait a minute, so she is colluding with inmates while in jail -- >> yes. >> to go out and murder people on her behalf? >> yes, that's correct. >> and rebecca also asked these inmates -- she wanted retribution against the prosecutor, henry boyce. >> it went from talking about linda, her best friend, to, "who do you know that can get rid of judge erwin, and henry boyce,

and phil smith, and then phil smith's wife." it went from nothing to just this big that quick. >> it shows her personality. she's homicidal, you know, from the very beginning. >> and how were these inmates supposed to get out of jail to go do this? >> it was my understanding that the inmates were soon to be released. and then once they got out, she had set it up for them to help her commit this murder. >> and just how was becky going to pay for this murder-for-hire plot? with all that silver and gold that was part of linda and phil's nasty divorce settlement. >> she had said at phil's house he had a bunch of gold and silver. and we could take that and we could just keep it. >> and over at linda's house, becky says there's more where that came from. >> she had sent me a note. she made it look like it was phil that wrote the note, and said how he was sorry, and sorry becky had to deal with anything that she had to deal with.

that it was all his fault. >> and she actually had written a suicide note in her handwriting portraying herself to be phil smith and claiming that phil smith had killed linda collins, and then killed himself and set it up as a suicide. >> we've all dealt with jailhouse snitches, right. and you've got to vet them too. >> now, inmates have been known to snitch on other inmates to get a lighter sentence. did it occur to you that maybe these women could've been lying? >> it's always a possibility, and you have to investigate it. but the inmates actually brought us proof and they brought us evidence in this note. we were able to prove from handwriting analysis that becky wrote that note. >> when she asked me to do this i felt like she thought that i was just a low-life scum, really. like, i felt like she stereotyped me. and like she was better than me.

>> the reason i said something was because i felt like somebody else might actually go through with the plan. and, i care about other people's lives. >> i kind of feel as if it needed to be told. but at the same time, i do feel sorry for her family because, you know, her family had a lot of support for her and they really believed her. and, like, her kids -- nobody deserves that. >> i feel for them. i just do. i'm a mother, and i would not ever want to put my children through something like that ever. >> on top of the charges she's already facing in the death of linda collins, becky o'donnell is charged with criminal solicitation to commit capital murder. >> all the times you spend in your career saying, "look, all that stuff on tv, it doesn't happen," except in this case, it pretty much all happened. >> when the gag order on

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at some point you hear that becky has been talking to fellow inmates, plotting to have other people killed. >> what did you make of this? >> that sounded like a bad hollywood script to me.

in the moment, i felt like it was a sign of desperation from the investigators. >> even at this stage in the investigation, becky's fiance tim loggains is continuing to support her, and police are getting a little frustrated that he's doing more talking to the media than he is to them. >> we had reached out to tim loggains several times in an attempt to sit down with him and to explain exactly what we knew about this case, and he refused to do so. >> i believe you cooperate with law enforcement, and i had, completely. but they were trying to get me to interact more and more, and i had to reach out and find an attorney to make sure that i wasn't entrapped in any kind of way. >> he had a lot of valuable information for their investigation that could appear to incriminate him. >> and what about tim? why would you suspect him? >> tim and -- and becky were fiances, so they were close.

>> were you worried that at some point police may think that you were involved in it too, that you two did it together? >> i knew it was a possibility, but i knew i could prove my whereabouts. >> eventually tim would be ruled out as having had anything to do with the murder or alleged theft of money from linda. but when the pandemic hits in the spring of 2020, and becky's murder trial is subsequently pushed back, something really huge happens behind the scenes. tim and his lawyer get a phone call from becky's defense team, and it's a sunner. >> i got a call from her attorneys asking for a meeting. and it was a meeting i won't forget. >> what did they say to you? >> that they had discussed it with becky, and becky wanted them to tell tim that becky had killed linda. >> her lawyers revealed to you that she was the murderer? >> it just felt like a

bombshell, and it just came out of nowhere. >> your fiancé, the woman you loved, the woman you thought was best friends with linda, now you realize, killed her. >> mm-hmm. i was mad. i was hurt. i felt used. i felt stupid. >> i remember not knowing if he was going to explode or break down. it was the most intense moment that you could possibly imagine. >> did you feel betrayed? >> absolutely. i can't think of a worse betrayal. she murdered my friend and lied about it. >> how do you process that? >> i felt guilty that i had introduced becky to linda, and without me, linda would probably still be alive.

>> it is now clear, those wild rumors surrounding the case were all false. there was no cover-up to hide someone else's involvement. phil smith is totally cleared. and becky alone is admitting to the killing. >> just moments ago, rebecca o'donnell entered guilty pleas here at the randolph county courthouse in the murder of linda collins. >> so, rebecca o'donnell, in what turned out to be a very dramatic move, decided to change her plea in this case from not guilty to guilty. and that was a shock that no one really saw coming. >> that plea is one sentence long. she says, "i went over to linda's house, and i intentionally killed her and concealed her body." >> that's the only time you

heard her say anything in the courtroom. and that is also when the death penalty came off the table. >> it still definitely hurt hearing her say you know, i killed her, and i moved her body. >> was there emotion attached to her when she said that? >> no. >> no. >> she said it just because she was told she had to say it, she didn't -- she didn't care. >> while authorities don't charge becky with the alleged theft of linda's money, they do charge her with conspiracy stemming from the murder for hire plot, which she tried to hatch while in the county jail. becky also pleads no contest to those charges. >> do you have anything to say to the public? >> rebecca o'donnell will spend 50 years in jail for the murder of senator linda collins. but for the family of senator linda collins, it wasn't the justice they wanted to see done. >> none of the punishments allowed for arkansas state law

will come close to what i feel right now, and as a right and equal punishment for her. >> it will never bring my grandpa's daughter back, or our mother back, or our children's grandmother back. no amount of punishment will ever fill that void that rebecca o'donnell made in our lives the day she killed our mother. >> but with a resolution in this case also comes something else, and it's big. a judge agrees with abc news and the arkansas press association that the gag order was too broad and fully lifts it allowing all the evidence to finally come out. and that's when people finally get to see all of the incriminating evidence that investigators had against becky all along. >> it turns out, there are more breathtaking videos from those security cameras. in one of them, becky is clearly putting one of the cameras in her bag!

you could see becky o'donnell placing that camera in a handbag. and just as luck would have it, when she placed that camera inside the handbag, the camera was pointing up toward the ceiling. >> what are the odds that this shot would be recorded? she is not only putting the camera in her bag, but it's still rolling! and at the perfect angle to capture her holding a bloody knife! >> so you could clearly see becky with blood on her hands, with an -- a large kitchen knife in her hand. >> the video pointing up towards becky, we can't explain it. i'm sure if it happened again, we would never have gotten that footage. >> was that your smoking gun? >> absolutely. >> you know, it is that money shot that you hope to get in those cases. it's amazing how lucky we get

sometimes. it kind of goes back to where the criminals aren't always as smart as they think they are. >> as for that ghost-like figure captured on camera? investigators say that's becky too. >> you're under arrest for the murder of linda, you understand that? >> we gotcha. >> we gotcha. >> once the public sees that damning video, you'd think it would put all the questions about the case to rest. they aren't. >> she is not in arkansas. we do not know her exact whereabouts. >> and another one of the questions people are still asking, did becky o'donnell act

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a tragedy from start to finish. >> in a case that's already full of unusual twists, it turns out that becky is being held secretly in a prison that the arkansas department of corrections will not publicly identify. just that she's out of state, and they won't say why she was moved there. >> we do not know her exact whereabouts, except to say that she is eight hours away. >> there's something not being told. this is the product of not allowing sunshine into our judicial system. >> investigators have acknowledged to us that the early secrecy, the gag order, the recusals, all of that are contributing factors as to why some in the public are skeptical that we have all the facts, or that becky actually did act alone.

>> you know, i do wonder how someone as tiny as becky moved linda's body outside. 'cause the adrenaline only lasts so long. >> you're convinced becky o'donnell killed linda collins. >> absolutely. 100 -- >> alone? >> yes, alone. 100% confident. >> becky, how are you feeling today? >> i think the evidence was very clear who committed the murder. the person's guilty and sitting in jail now, so to me, the case is closed. >> police have officially cleared tim loggains and phil smith. and phil smith provided a statement to us. "my family and i are grateful that justice has been done. my request is to be left in peace and that linda be allowed to rest in peace." >> in the end, linda's children and grandchildren won't have that precious time with her.

>> happy new year! >> you just think it could have been prevented. why did one friend take another friend's life? >> what do you most want people to remember about linda collins-smith? >> she did so much in her life. she is so much more than just her murder, just how she died. >> she was a real person. she wasn't just a politician. she was a grandmother, she was a mother, she was a daughter. >> she was always so good at making you feel so special and so loved and i think that's what i miss the most. >> she just loved people and she just wanted the best for everybody. it's just senseless.

becky will be eligible for parole after serving 30 years of her 50-year prison sentence. for more on this unusual story check out a special edition "20/20" podcast available on your favorite app. that's our program for tonight. thanks so much for watching. i'm deborah roberts. from all of us at "20/20" and abc news, good night.

dan: some of the most important people in american politics

reacting tonight to the san francisco attack on speaker nancy pelosi's husband. and will crab season start in time for thanksgiving? new information tonight. abc7