Death Valley: Sun Lakes Man Accused of Killing Wife Two Years Ago in Fall at Apache Lake

Two years ago, Sun Lakes resident Francis Ray Collins reported that his wife, Linda Steer, fell off a cliff to her death on a trip to Apache Lake.The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office yesterday announced the arrest of Collins, 50, and that it's seeking a second-degree murder charge on Steer in...

By Ray Stern

July 16, 2009

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Two years ago, Sun Lakes resident Francis Ray Collins reported that his wife, Linda Steer, fell off a cliff to her death on a trip to Apache Lake.

The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office yesterday announced the arrest of Collins, 50, and that it's seeking a second-degree murder charge on Steer in connection with her death.

A news release by the office states that "a two-year investigation has provided enough probable cause to arrest Collins..." He was booked into the Fourth Avenue jail and is being held on a $180,000 bond, the release says.

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Ray Stern is the former news editor of Phoenix New Times. He worked as a newspaper reporter in Arizona for more than two decades. He's won numerous awards for his reporting, including the Arizona Press Club's Don Bolles Award for Investigative Journalism.