Dad charged with murder of 14 yr old daughter with shotgun/Odell bonds out 7.29.2012 on $500,000, w/ order to stay away from two of his surviving children and their Mother

By Katherine Cavazini
updated 8:45 PM EDT, Fri July 27, 2012

Dad allegedly killed teen daughter with shotgun blast to back
Police say dad claims he accidentally shot his daughter as he attempted to evade unknown people chasing after him
Body found lying face down in a wooded area, police say

Dad accused of shooting teen daughter in back
A Texas father was arrested for murder after police say he claims he accidentally shot his 15-year-old daughter with a 12 gauge shotgun in the woods as he and his children were attempting to evade unknown people chasing after them, according to an arrest affidavit for warrantless arrest.

Authorities say 40-year-old Edwin Collins arrived at the Hill County Sheriff’s Office Tuesday with “numerous scratches on his arms, face, and shoulder,” the affidavit states. Collins then told officers that he believed “someone was trying to get him” and his children at his home earlier that morning, police said.

Investigators say Collins told them that earlier that day, he loaded his children into the family minivan, armed with a semi-automatic shotgun, and left the home, the affidavit sates. Collins told police he parked his car in the back of Collins’ Hitchin’ Post, the family business, and got out of the car with his children and walked to the rear of the store, authorities said.

Collins claims when they got out of the car, he heard a “loud bang” that he thought may be a gunshot, so he and his children took cover by a large concrete block instead of going inside the store, according to court documents. Police said Collins told them he called 911 from his cell phone, but the call dropped shortly after he began speaking to the dispatcher.

Sheriff Jeffrey Lyon said that a 911 call was placed to the Bosque County Sheriff’s Office, but, because of the weak signal, the call dropped after about nine seconds, KXXV reported.

After placing the 911 call, Collins told authorities he and his children ran from outside the store on foot after he thought he saw two flashlights moving around and pointing at the ground, according to the affidavit. Police say Collins then admitted to firing several “warning shots” with his gun.

As they moved further away, Collins said he told his children to move 100 yards back and said he was going to “kill whoever it was that was chasing them,” police said in the affidavit. Moments later, Collins told police he heard his daughter scream, and he turned around and “shot his shotgun in the direction of the scream,” police said.

Investigators say Collins admitted to shooting his daughter in the back with a semi-automatic shotgun as he stood approximately 10 feet away, according to court documents. Collins stated he knew that he killed his daughter, but he and his surviving children hid in the woods until daylight, police said.

Authorities say Collins told them that he and his children went back to Collins’ Hitchin’ Post and asked his father, the store owner, if deputies responded to the 911 call he placed before the shooting occurred. Collins admitted to authorities that he did not tell his father that he shot his daughter, nor did he call for emergency services from the store phone, according to police.

Collins’ 17-year-old son, who police say witnessed the shooting, led authorities to the body located near a fence line south of the family store, according to the affidavit. Officers say they discovered the body “lying face down on the ground with a gunshot wound to the back.”

Attempts to reach Collins’ attorney for a comment were unsuccessful.

Hill County Chief Sherriff’s Deputy Stephen Girsh said police have not determined what circumstances led to the shooting, but they have not ruled out the possibility the girl’s death was an accident, WacoTrib.com reported.

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This is crazy! What do the children say about what happened? Why didn't he go into the store instead of hiding behind it? Was he paranoid or was this all planned out so that he could "accidentally" kill his daughter for some unknown reason!? Crazy!

Friends remember 14-year-old shooting victim

Posted: Jul 26, 2012 7:16 PM CDT

By Christine McCarthy

WHITNEY- Friends of the 14-year-old Hill County girl who was shot and killed by her father early Tuesday morning are trying to put aside the shooting and focus on their memories of their friend.

Edwin Odell Collins, Jr., 40, remains in Hill County Jail, charged with murder, although he says he accidentally shot his daughter, Judith, while trying to fend off people who were supposedly chasing him on his property near the family store, Collins' Hitching Post at F.M. 933 and F.M. 1713.

In the meantime, Camaron, Yesenia and Brooke, all 14 years old, are remembering their sweet, bubbly friend and bright classmate at Whitney I.S.D.

"She would sing in the middle of lunch," said Camaron. "She would get up and sing if she wanted to. She was just that kind of [person] who just did, and was happy. She was happy."

Camaron had been text messaging with Judith just hours before the shooting. Her mother told her what happened the next day, leaving her in disbelief.

"I tried to call her phone," Camaron said, "and I called people and I texted people, and that's when I - I knew. I watched the news, and I knew."

Camaron contacted Yesenia and Brooke to confirm the news.

"At first I didn't believe it," Yesenia said. "It was really shocking."

Today, Camaron, Yesenia and Brooke are still trying to deal with their loss but hanging on to their fondest memories, including Judith's dream to make it big singing.

"She actually was thinking about going to American Idol and she was asking for everyone to vote for her," Yesenia said. "And of course I said yes."

Judith had just finished middle school at Whitney I.S.D. and was heading into high school, where she would likely continue helping her friends with their math and science homework.

"It's just gonna be really different," Brooke said. "She was always there making everyone happy, just singing and doing what she liked to do."

Judith wanted to be a doctor or, like Camaron, a marine biologist. Camaron is now determined to pursue that goal in honor of her friend.

"She was a good person," Camaron said. "It's kind of hard to know that all of this has happened, so I guess we're just trying to take it day by day."

Whitney I.S.D. classmates will be holding a candelight vigil for Judith at the school football field.

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video at above link.

UPDATE (KCEN) -- Around 7:45 a.m. Edwin Collins showed up at the police station with his two other children in the car. He had scratches on his arms, face and shoulder and the right shoulder of his shirt was torn off.

Collins said he left his house with his three children, ages 17,15 and 11 when he thought someone was trying to break in. Collins brought his semi-automatic shotgun with him when they left.

They went the family store, Collins' Hitchin' Post and were going to enter but Collins heard a loud sound and feared it might be a gunshot so they hid behind a concrete block instead of going inside. This is when Collins said he called 911 but the call was dropped.

He said all four of them began running through the woods and he thought he saw two flashlights shining on the ground near them. Collins fired warning shots in the direction of the lights and then told his children to get behind him so he could kill whoever was following them.

That is when Collins said he heard his daughter scream and he turned and fired his gun in the direction of the scream. He was about ten feet away from his daughter, Judith when he fired and hit her in the back.

He said he knew he had killed 15-year old Judith Collins and that he remained in the woods with his two other children, hiding until the sun came out.

The family then went into Collins' Hitchin' Post and asked the owner, who is Edwin Collins' father, if police had ever responded to his call. He did not tell his father he had shot his daughter nor did he call police from the store.

Deputies brought 17-year-old Alex Collins back to the scene of the shooting where he led deputies to the body of his deceased sister.

Collins has been charged with murder.

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I agree, lisette. What was he running from? Who was he afraid of? Was he intoxicated? This makes no sense!

WHITNEY, Texas (AP) — A Central Texas man has been accused of killing his 14-year-old daughter and leading deputies to her body.

The Hill County Sheriff's Office says 40-year-old Edwin Collins Jr. of Whitney was jailed Wednesday on a murder charge. No bond was immediately set for Collins, who surrendered Tuesday morning.

Chief Deputy Stephen Girsh says the body of Judith Collins was then located in a wooded area.

Girsh says there's no indication of any conflict between the father and the girl, who was shot in the back. An autopsy has been ordered. Toxicology results are pending on the father.

Girsh says the suspect's 11-year-old daughter and 17-year-old son apparently witnessed the shooting. They're now with their mother. Girsh says the parents are divorced.

Details on an attorney for Collins weren't immediately available.

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This was on NG last night, none of it makes sense, maybe that Dad was suffering from some mental problem involving extreme paranoia? It was said on NG that the kids backed up the Dad's story. Very strange..

Posted: Jul 28, 2012 9:41 AM PDT

HILL COUNTY- The Hill County man charged with murder after shooting and killing his 14-year-old daughter early Tuesday morning was released from jail on bond on Friday, but a court order kept him from two of his surviving children and their mother while they planned her funeral.

Sheriff Jeffrey Lyon said Friday night that a Dallas bond company posted Edwin Odell Collins, Jr.'s $500,000 bond around 5:00 p.m.

Collins told authorities he shot daughter Judith by accident while trying to run from people who were chasing him on his property near his home and the family-owned store, Collins' Hitching Post, at F.M. 933 and F.M. 1713.

Lyon said his office had too much suspicion not to charge Collins with murder.

In a 9-1-1 call made by Collins around 4:30 a.m., he told Bosque County dispatchers that people in cars were after him at the family store. After about nine seconds, the call dropped as Bosque County transferred the call to Hill County operators.

Lyon said a deputy went to the store to make a welfare check and found Collins' father, who told the deputy everything was fine.

Collins later told authorities he had fled his house in the family minivan with his three kids to run from those pursing him and parked behind the store and got out. He said he then heard a loud bang and hid beside a concrete block with his kids while making the 9-1-1 call. Collins told deputies he saw flashlights pointing at the ground and he fired warning shots in that direction, telling his children to stay 100 yards back. Judith then suddenly screamed, according to Collins, and, startled, he turned and shot her in the back from 10 feet away.

Collins then admitted to leaving Judith face-down on the ground while he hid in the woods with his two surviving children, ages 11 and 17, until daylight, when he went into the store and asked his father if anyone had responded to a 9-1-1 call. Collins didn't mention the shooting to his father and he didn't use the land line phone at the store to alert authorities, but instead made the 12-mile trip to the Hill County Sheriff's Office, where, at 7:45 a.m. he asked to make a report, and, according to Sheriff Lyon, only told a deputy that Judith was dead after a few minutes of talking.

Judith's 17-year-old brother led deputies to his sister's body near a fence line on the property, Lyon said.

Investigators found Collins' cell phone out in the field with the battery removed. They also recovered Judith's cell phone beside her body with the battery missing. Investigators are still searching the field for her older brother's phone.

A court granted a protection order to Judith's mother, who had been divorced from Collins since 2002, to protect herself and their two other children from their father.

Sheriff Lyon said his four investigators were giving the family space to grieve and plan Judith's funeral.

Whitney Police on Saturday said Collins wasn't at the planned funeral service but could have arranged a visit with her alone.

Marshall and Marshall Funeral Home in Whitney was packed with family, friends and teachers who remembered a bubbly, happy teenager and bright classmate, who loved singing and had a dream of trying out for American Idol and becoming a professional singer.
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No updates found as of 6.1.2013

August 10, 2013
After nearly 12 months, a murder case against a Whitney father was presented to District Attorney Mark Pratt’s office Monday, July 22.
Forty-one-year-old Edwin Odell Collins Jr. stands charged in the shooting death of his 14-year-old daughter, Judith. The offense occurred in the early morning hours of July 24 last year.
Hill County Sheriff Michael Cox said that the case had been held up by ballistic tests on a shotgun believed used in the offense.
Evidence was submitted to the Department of Public Safety (DPS) Crime Lab by the sheriff’s office shortly after the offense.
But, it wasn’t until a request was received from the lab about a month ago to resubmit some of the information that the lab got moving on the case.
“Since taking office, we had called several times to check on the status of the case,” the sheriff pointed out.
Pratt confirmed Wednesday morning, July 24, the anniversary of the shooting, that he had recused himself from the case earlier this year.
The move was made due to differences between his office and the sheriff’s office staff at the time of the offense.
Bill and Susan Johnston were appointed to serve as special prosecutors, and the case file was sent to the Waco attorneys once received, Pratt said.
The suspect came to the sheriff’s office in Hillsboro about 7:45 a.m. on the date of the offense accompanied by his 17-year-old son and 11-year-old daughter.
While talking with investigators, he told them he had shot and killed his other daughter.
Information on the arrest-warrant affidavit indicated that the family had left their residence on PR 122 north of Whitney after the suspect believed someone was outside trying to get him.
They drove to a nearby family business on Farm Road 933. The group heard a loud bang that the father thought might have been a gunshot and left the location without going inside.
The suspect told authorities that he tried to phone 9-1-1, but the call was dropped. A call at the time hit a Bosque County cell tower and was transferred to Hill County.
The caller apparently indicated that there was a problem in the area of the Hitchin’ Post on Farm Road 933, but when deputies checked with the clerk, they were told that there were no problems.
The man and his children made their way on foot to the southeast in a pasture, with several warning shots fired in an attempt to scare off whoever he thought was following them.
At some point, one of the girls screamed. The father turned and fired in that direction, striking the victim, reports indicated.
The group stayed in the woods until daylight, went back to the business and eventually showed up at the sheriff’s office before notifying authorities of the shooting.
Deputies went to the location described by the father about 10 a.m. and found the girl’s body near a fence line. She had suffered a gunshot wound to the upper back.
A time frame for presenting the case to a grand jury hasn’t been established.
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