Page 38 - Florida Sentinel 9-30-22

Crime
Murder Trials Of Accused Seminole Heights Serial Killer To Begin Next Summer
North Tampa Man
HOWELL EMANUEL DONALDSON, III
...is being labeled a serial killer
after the deaths of 4 people.
BY IRIS B. HOLTON Sentinel City Editor
Last week a judge decided that the first of four murder trials of Howell Emanuel Donaldson, III, 29, will begin next summer. Prosecu- tors are seeking the death penalty in all four cases.
Last year, Judge Saman- tha Ward decided to sepa- rate all four cases and have a trial for each victim.
Hillsborough County Pub- lic Defender, Julianne M. Holt, said, “we would be pre- pared in the summer of 2023 based on how things are pro- gressing at this time.”
It has not been deter- mined the order in which the trials will proceed. However, Judge Ward said she ex- pects the two parties to agree on which case will go first by November 7th.
Killings began in October 2017
For 51 days, beginning on October 9, 2017, with the murder of Benjamin Mitchell, the City of Tampa was held captive by a serial killer preying on the popula- tion of Seminole Heights. The entire city breathed a sigh of relief after Howell Emanuel Donaldson, III, was ar- rested, on November 28, 2017. No other murders linked to Seminole Heights took place after his arrest.
There had been several murders of young, Black men throughout the year, both in Tampa and in Hillsborough County. So, when the news that 22-year-old Benjamin Mitchell was shot and killed it didn’t raise too many eye-
BENJAMIN MITCHELL ....was killed on October 9, 2017
ANTHONY NAIBOA ....was killed on October 19, 2017
brows. Mitchell was walking near N. 15th Street and E. Frierson, when he was shot. He died at a local hospital.
But, four days later, a city employee discovered the body of Ms. Monica Hoffa, 32, of Tampa. Her body was discov- ered on the morning of Octo- ber 13th, in a vacant lot in the 1000 block of East New Or- leans Avenue. She had last been seen walking through the neighborhood on October 11th, en route to meet a friend.
It was after her murder that then Mayor Bob Buck- horn and then Police Chief Brian Duggan notified the city of a possible serial killer in the area. They felt resi- dents, especially in the Semi- nole Heights area, should be alerted.
The 3rd murder happened 6 days later on October 19th, shortly before 8 p.m. An- thony Naiboa, 20, a young adult with autism, had gotten off the bus at the wrong stop. He was walking north on 15th Street in the area of Wilder Avenue when he was killed.
Although officers were in the area and heard the gun- shot, the suspect slipped through their grasp.
With the help of several law enforcement agencies, po-
MONICA HOFFA ....was killed on October 11, 2017
RONALD FELTON ...was killed on November 14, 2017
lice blanketed the Seminole Heights area. A reward was offered and continued to in- crease along with tension and fear.
The suspect waited for nearly a month before he took the life of 60-year-old Ronald Felton. Felton was near the intersection of N. Ne- braska Avenue and E. Cara- cas. Felton was approached from behind.
His death is unique in that the killer struck at 4:50 a.m., instead of at night as he had in the previous cases.
By the time Felton was killed, the reward had reached $110,000. His was the last death attributed to the Semi- nole Heights killer.
The Arrest
On November 28th, How-
ell Emanuel Donaldson, III, was arrested and charged with four counts of first-de- gree murder.
He reportedly admitted he purchased the gun and took possession of it on October 7th. Two days later, the first mur- der took place.
Donaldson did not con- fess to the murders. He is cur- rently being held at the Hillsborough County Jail without bond.
The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office arrested a sus- pect in connection with a homicide that took place last week.
On Tuesday, September 20, 2022, at 10:26 p.m., a shooting occurred in front of University Square apart- ments located at 13707 N 21st Street. Upon arrival deputies discovered a an adult male had been fatally shot.
Detectives identified and later arrested, 33-year-old Victor Morla Casado as the alleged shooter.
Morla Casado faces charges of first-degree mur- der, armed false imprison-
VICTOR CASADO
ment, and a felon in posses- sion of a firearm.
The investigation is con- tinuing.
Charged With
First-Degree Murder
Woman Gets More
Than A Year In Jail
For Bank Fraud
Police in Mobile, Alabama arrested a 22-year-old Tampa woman who participated in a scheme to commit bank fraud with stolen driver’s licenses and counterfeit checks.
She pleaded guilty to the charges and was sentenced to one year and a half in federal prison.
According to police,
Jaleeshia Deanna Robin- son pleaded guilty in May to conspiracy to commit bank fraud and aggravated identity theft.
She was arrested after she was stopped for a traffic viola- tion on Interstate 65 in Bald- win County. The deputy found
JALEESHIA DEANNA ROBINSON
seven counterfeit checks and five stolen driver’s licenses, along with a laptop computer, printer and blank check stock.
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