Is Opal Collins Still Alive Or Dead?
27-year-old Ben Collins Jr. was a WWII soldier who resided in Kentucky with his father, mother, Julia M. Collins, and two sisters, Martha Ann and Mary Sue. While Ben survived the war, he was disabled in a terrible car accident in 1947 while serving in the Army. She earned a generous insurance settlement of $10,000 for the accident, which sustained her family while her mother cared for her.
However, Ben had another woman in his life: Opal, a local beauty. People used to compare her face to that of an angel when she was in her mid-20s. A whirlwind relationship occurred, and she was soon reunited with all of her family members. Ben’s family did not approve of Opal, a regular visitor to their house, much more than they would have wanted when he was smoking with her.
In early 1956, the Collins family relocated from Kentucky to Hammond, Indiana, ostensibly to escape sticky opals. Ben had saved enough money to purchase a large house for his family, and they were living together happily. But, after a few months, Opal shows up at their door, drawn enough to Ben to take her back. According to the episode, Ben “felt less of a man” after the injury, but “having a gorgeous woman by him helped him feel secure.” Both of them married within a month, and Opal moved in with her in-laws.
The episode depicted Opal’s heated argument with her in-laws, which forced her husband to kick them out of the house. By the end of May 1956, the clashes had become serious and scary, and Opal had lost all control. She borrowed her husband’s.22 shotgun, loaded 16 shells, and went on a murdering rampage. According to the episode, she murdered the youngest sister, Mary, 11, then Martha, 14, and Julia, 48, before turning on 28-year-old Ben. Because he was not at home that day, his father-in-law was the only one who survived.
Is Opal Collins Still Alive Or Dead?
Opal did not flee, but instead peacefully surrendered to authorities. She faced four life sentences but was forced to stand trial for the murder of Mary, an 11-year-old girl. In May 1956, she was convicted of first-degree murder and condemned to death. This occurred at a period when 35 of the 48 US states possessed the capital sentence, yet nearly no women were executed.
On December 10, 1956, Indiana’s governor commuted the death penalty to life imprisonment. Opal contested his sentence many times but was denied each time. Opal is either in her late 80s and Hammond is serving a prison sentence in prison, or she is still deceased, according to the public documents.
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