Howell Emanuel Donaldson

Serial Killer

Howell Emanuel Donaldson III: The Seminole Heights Serial Killer

Overview

Howell Emanuel Donaldson III, also known as Howell "Trai" Donaldson III, is an American serial killer responsible for four seemingly random murders committed in Tampa, Florida, during the fall of 2017. His crimes became known as the Seminole Heights killings because all four victims were murdered in or around the Southeast Seminole Heights neighborhood. Between October 9 and November 14, 2017, Donaldson shot and killed Benjamin Edward Mitchell, Monica Caridad Hoffa, Anthony Naiboa, and Ronald Felton. The victims did not appear to know one another, and investigators found no meaningful personal connection between them and Donaldson. The seemingly random nature of the attacks created extraordinary fear throughout Seminole Heights. Residents who normally walked through the neighborhood after dark changed their routines, police increased patrols, and investigators repeatedly warned people not to walk alone. Authorities eventually determined through ballistic evidence that the same firearm had been used in all four murders. Despite thousands of tips and extensive surveillance work, the killer's identity remained unknown until November 28, 2017, when Donaldson brought the murder weapon into the McDonald's restaurant where he worked.

The Beginning of the Seminole Heights Murders

The killing spree began on the evening of October 9, 2017. Twenty-two-year-old Benjamin Edward Mitchell was waiting at a HART bus stop on North 15th Street near East Frierson Avenue when he was attacked at approximately 9:00 p.m. Mitchell was shot four times and died from his injuries. Investigators recovered .40-caliber cartridge casings from the scene. Surveillance footage from the neighborhood showed a person walking toward the area shortly before the shooting. Another recording showed an individual running away only seconds after Mitchell was attacked. At the time, police had no clear motive for Mitchell's murder and no obvious suspect. The investigation became more alarming when another resident disappeared only two days later. On the evening of October 11, 2017, 32-year-old Monica Caridad Hoffa was supposed to meet a friend. At approximately 8:47 p.m., Tampa police received reports of gunfire near North 11th Street and East New Orleans Avenue. Hoffa never arrived to meet her friend and was not heard from again. On October 13, a landscaping crew discovered Hoffa's body in an overgrown vacant lot near the southwest corner of East New Orleans Avenue and North 11th Street. Investigators determined that she had been shot multiple times. Evidence and the timing of the reported gunfire placed her killing on October 11. The location was only a short distance from the site of Mitchell's murder. ...

Confirmed Victims: (4)

Benjamin Edward Mitchell Age: (22), Date of Death: 2017-10-09

Accused Seminole Heights killer Howell Donaldson III pleads guilty ...