Good Morning America scored an interview aired today with Tim Loggains, fiance of Becky Lynn O’Donnell, who’s been charged with capital murder in the death of former Republican Sen. Linda Collins, found dead at her home near Pocahontas June 4.

Loggains says he notified O’Donnell of Collins’ death and that he’s mystified why she has been charged. He said he believes O’Donnell may have been one of the last people to see Collins alive, having taken lunch to her May 28. He said O’Donnell, who’d worked for Collins, was best friends with the former senator.

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Collins’ body was decomposed when found. The cause of her death has not been revealed. Prosecutor Henry Boyce obtained a court order after the death was discovered sealing documents in the case. Release of the affidavit on which O’Donnell’s arrest warrant was issued would offer information on why she was charged.

O’Donnell and Loggains have long been friends and political supporters of Collins, known as Collins-Smith until her divorce last year from retired Circuit Judge Phil Smith. O’Donnell served as a witness to Collins’ residency in her divorce case and Loggains was mentioned in the trial over property division (again: my wife, retired Judge Ellen Brantley, presided). Loggains once had the senator’s power of attorney and participated in her efforts to cash almost $500,000 in state and federal income tax return checks issued jointly to Collins and Smith. Loggains confirmed this in the interview. He said he’d just been helping a friend and he never received “a nickel” for help he provided Collins. His effort to cash a federal refund of more than $400,000 was stopped when the bank called Phil Smith, who said the check shouldn’t be cashed without his signature.

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Loggains says O’Donnell is “mad” at those who arrested her. He insisted authorities have made a mistake, but offered no alternative theory for Collins’ death. He said O’Donnell had “collapsed” when he informed her of the death. He said neither he nor O’Donnell had anything to do with the murder.

Loggains said that unless O’Donnell was the “best actress, a sociopath or completely fooled me, there’s not a chance she did this.”

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He said he was speaking out in hopes of moving authorities to reveal more about the case.

He also confirmed O’Donnell’s arrest by police as they drove to a family visitation at a church. They saw blue lights and he said officers with AR-15s made the arrest. He said a child was in the vehicle with them.

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NEA Report added another unverified tidbit to this investigation yesterday with an anonymously sourced account of a reported purchase of bleach O’Donnell made at a Walmart in the days before the body was discovered. NEA Report had earlier quoted a former employer and a sister of O’Donnell as casting doubts on her honesty. That report did not come up in T.J. Holmes’ interview of Loggains.

SEN. ALAN CLARK: Not happy with lack of information on Collins murder.

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UPDATE: Sen. Alan Clark of Lonsdale, a friend of Collins, has been complaining loudly on social media and to various government offices about the lack of information on the investigation. He seems to think legislators are somehow entitled to more information than the public at large. His post on Facebook Tuesday:

I passed on an opportunity yesterday to be part of an interview by ABC that they will air on Good Morning America tomorrow morning.

 

I made that decision, after having several discussions with different departments of state government about the investigation. I hope the interview with others went well and keeps the spotlight on the investigation and getting to the truth. For me, I decided for now that my trust level was not high enough with the network as to what direction they might be going with the story for me to be involved.

I have however cooperated with ABC and other members of the press to shed all of the light I can on their investigations into the circumstances around Senator Collins’ death. I hope they can find information to give all of us peace of mind about the investigation.

 

I do not rule out future interviews, nor do I rule out a legal challenge to the sealing of the investigation or at least in how it might apply to leadership in the legislature. I have no interest in opening this up to the public if it shouldn’t be but I do have a vested interest in leaders in the legislature including her close friends being trusted enough to share details as to compelling evidence that the investigation is on the right track and the court allowing that.

 

I appreciate all of those in government who have taken my calls and that are making attempts to get all of us some answers as quickly as possible. It is not that we don’t trust. It is about what Ronald Reagan said. Trust but verify.

If we did not have reasons to ask questions we would not be. It is not everyday that a friend is murdered. It is even more rare that the friend expressed to multiple people that their life was in danger. We cannot have that information and not be concerned that Linda’s concerns are heeded now that she can no longer speak for herself. Her concerns may in the end have had nothing to do with her death, but we are not wrong in wanting to be sure her concerns are not dismissed.

So far, everything about the case is under seal, including the basic record in the case. The circuit clerk is interpreting a sealing order as preventing her from even listing the charge filed against O’Donnell, which is unusual. O’Donnell is scheduled for court July 30 in Pocahontas and is being represented by public defenders. She’ll enter a plea and likely be denied bail. That’s a point at which more information might be revealed about what led to the arrest, but not necessarily. At this point, the defense might also have reason to ask for restrictions on release of information in the case so as not to prejudice the jury pool.

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If Alan Clark has indeed been suggesting law enforcement is off on the wrong track on this case, perhaps he should make public himself what the right track might be.

UPDATE II: In response to my question about that, he responded by email:

Interesting. Not true but interesting. I have always been available to talk to investigators.

Thanks for letting me know.