Seminole Heights serial killer

Howell Emanuel "Trai" Donaldson III (born January 26, 1993) He pleaded not guilty to all charges five days later.

On January 23, 2018, Hillsborough State Attorney Andrew Warren announced his office would seek the death penalty against Donaldson. Donaldson's trial was set for August 2023. On May 1, 2023, Donaldson pleaded guilty in the murders and was sentenced to four consecutive life sentences without parole.

Early life Donaldson was born to Howell Donaldson Jr. and Rosita Donaldson in Charlotte, North Carolina, in 1993. He graduated from Alonso High School in Tampa, and began attending St. John's University in New York City in 2011. In 2017, he received a bachelor's degree in sports management. From 2011 to 2012, Donaldson was a basketball player for the St. John's Red Storm men's basketball.

Victims Benjamin Edward Mitchell A man was shot and killed at about 9:00 p.m. on October 9, 2017, as he was waiting at a bus stop near North 15th Street and East Frierson Avenue in the Seminole Heights neighborhood. The victim was identified as Benjamin Edward Mitchell, a 22-year-old African American man. He is the first-known victim, chronologically, of the serial killer. Mitchell had left his home about a block away and was on his way to see his girlfriend.

Ronald Felton At about 4:50 a.m. on November 14, a 60-year-old man was crossing North Nebraska Avenue just north of East Caracas Street when the suspect came up behind him and fatally shot him. The victim, identified as Ronald Felton, was walking to the New Seasons Apostolic Ministries to meet the pastor to get ready to distribute food to families in need. He had been a volunteer at the food bank for more than a decade.

Community response On October 13, police deduced that the murders of Mitchell and Hoffa were connected based on ballistic evidence showing bullets from both victims came from the same Glock handgun. They increased patrols in the area and issued a statement urging people to not walk alone at night. Except for a grainy security cam video of a man in a hoodie, Tampa police had very few leads, and no suspects.

On October 31, 2017, over 50 police officers were stationed in the Seminole Heights area, as well as Tampa's then-interim police chief Brian Dugan and Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn, to ensure a safe night of trick-or-treating for the community's youth. Officers from the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP), Hillsborough County sheriffs office and Tampa officers were stationed throughout the community in cars and on horseback.

Investigation

Surveillance video from the murders of Mitchell and Felton showed the suspect wearing a hoodie that was apparently light-colored, though detectives said the colors are misleading as dark colors often appear as light colors in infrared video. Furthermore, after Felton's murder, witnesses told police that the suspect was wearing all-dark clothing. At least one witness described the suspect as a black male with a light complexion and a thin build, estimated to be about 6 feet to 6 feet 2 inches tall. Walker notified a Tampa Police Officer who was eating in the restaurant.

Donaldson consented to a search of his vehicle, where Tampa police found clothes stained with what appeared to be blood and fitting the description derived from security footage and eyewitness accounts. They also discovered that his cell phone location data aligned with the date, time, and location of that provided in the security footage. Tampa police claim that ballistics tests show that Donaldson's 40-caliber Glock was used to commit all four killings, and that shell casings matching the weapon were found at the scenes of the crimes.

His trial was scheduled to begin on August 10, 2020, but a judge granted a defense motion for Donaldson to be tried for each murder separately, citing the different circumstances surrounding each victim. In April 2022, the Florida Second District Court of Appeal ruled that evidence of all four murders was admissible in each trial pursuant to the Williams Rule. If found guilty, Donaldson could have faced the death penalty. On May 1, 2023, Donaldson pleaded guilty in the murders and was sentenced to four consecutive life sentences without parole.