Judge Cathi Compton has issued a temporary restraining order to prevent release of investigative files in the murder of Linda Collins until she can review them for potential exclusion of material that shouldn’t be released to the general public.
Collins’ children, former husband and her estate asked for the order earlier this week in anticipation that State Police and the Randolph County sheriff would soon be releasing files in response to requests from media.
The case has concluded with Becky O’Donnell’s guilty plea to the murder of Collins, her former friend, in return for 50 years in prison.
The files include substantial amounts of computer, phone and Internet information, some of which came from phones and computers provided to investigators by Colins’ children and her former husband. The family said that information could include personal and business information whose release could be harmful to them if publicly released.
Here’s the judge’s order, which she signed yesterday evening.
Incidentally, a hearing is set Thursday morning at the Justice Building for Special Judge John Fogleman to hear a request from ABC News for access to a court reporter’s audio tapes of proceedings in the case.