Stuti Gokhale
Former Arkansas state senator Linda Collins was tragically found murdered on June 4, 2019, outside her Pocahontas home. Later, it was discovered that she had been brutally stabbed to death by her close personal friend and political aide, Rebecca O’Donnell. Linda and her long-term partner, Philip “Phil” Smith, had divorced in 2018, but her death did deeply impact him and their two children, some of the details of which are explored on ‘Dateline: The Hands of a Killer.’
Who are Linda Collins’ Kids?
On that unfortunate day, Philip Smith and Linda Collins’ son Butch Smith found his deceased mother when he went to visit her with his grandfather Benny Collins. He was seemingly in the armed forces before having settled in Pocahontas around the time of his mother’s demise. In addition, he helped her with managing her hotel and attended political events with her. “I will never not be able to see that picture burned into my brain… The last memory of her that I have was of me making that 911 call and trying not to vomit all over at the sight and smell of my mother’s body,” shared a shattered Butch on the day of Rebecca’s verdict in August 2020.
On the other hand, Linda’s daughter, Heather Tate Williams, is married to John Williams, a former US Marine Corps officer. One can only imagine how deeply disturbed both the siblings were as more details of their mother’s murder gradually came to light. When Rebecca was granted her prison sentence, Heather expressed her relief in her statement. “No amount of punishment will ever fill that void that Rebecca O’Donnell made in our lives the day she killed our mother. Today we find some shred of peace that Rebecca O’Donnell will be put away in prison for a very long time, unable to hurt anyone else,” she said.
Butch further added, “I would like to say that what happened to my mother was an awful deed, carried out of hate, jealousy, and greed. I believe that Rebecca O’Donnell was stealing money from my mother and when my mother confronted her about it, she snapped and stabbed my mother to death in a fit of rage and perceived self-perseverance (to try to prevent herself from going to jail). ”
What Butch said proved to be true as Rebecca had indeed stolen some gold and silver coins from Linda’s home and sold them in Little Rock and Memphis for the total amount of $15,110 in 2018. She was sentenced to 50 years in prison on charges of murder, tampering with physical evidence, and abuse of a corpse. Additional charges included two counts of solicitation to commit capital murder and solicitation to commit tampering with physical evidence.
Heather Williams and Butch Smith Now Have Families Of Their Own
From what we can tell, Heather Tate Williams resides in Bryant, Arkansas, with her husband, John, and their son, Reese. Though she is on social media, she is not highly active and mostly shares information about social welfare causes. Meanwhile, Butch Smith lives in Pocahontas with his wife and two sons, Jackson and Brayden.
It appears as if the former armed forces officer is highly passionate about helping army veterans and had once even conducted an online fundraiser for the Wounded Warrior Project on his birthday. Not much else is known about Heather and Butch at the moment since they prefer to be rather private about their lives. However, it does appear as if both siblings have since been doing their best to move on from their mother’s death while keeping her memories alive in their hearts by focusing on their respective families.
Read More: Where is Linda Collins’ Ex-Husband Now?
