True Crime
Collins was sentenced to life without parole for the murder of Linda Childers.
On Wednesday, Sept. 23, in Washington County District Court in Nebraska, William Collins was sentenced to life without parole after a no-contest plea in the murder of Linda Childers, 71, of Fort Calhoun.
By Crime Talk Network Staff Writer ·
A sentence after a no-contest plea is the judgment on the counts that were admitted. It is not a trial verdict, and it is not a new accusation. On Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2026, in Washington County District Court in Nebraska, William Collins pleaded no contest to first-degree murder, use of a deadly weapon to commit a felony, and burglary in the 2023 death of Linda Childers, 71, of Fort Calhoun. Judge Meismer sentenced him to life in prison without the possibility of parole on the murder count.
The weapons sentence is 48 to 50 years, consecutive to the life sentence. The burglary sentence is 10 to 20 years, concurrent with the weapons sentence. Washington County Attorney M. Scott VanderSchaaf said the life sentence was pursued by joint agreement with the family. Consecutive and concurrent terms are how the court stacked the judgment. They are not new charges filed at sentencing. The Enterprise account used here did not give one.
Childers was killed with a crossbow in her home in August 2023. That is the death behind the counts he admitted. It is not a reason to add a victim-impact quote.
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Reporting noted by WBRC, Tuscaloosa Thread, Calhoun Journal, and Tuscaloosa Patch.

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Reporting noted by High Point Police Department, WXII, FOX 35 Orlando, and News & Observer.

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Reporting noted by Chicago Police Department, ABC7 Chicago, and CBS Chicago.
