Page 2 - Florida Sentinel 4-1-22

Feature
Death Penalty Upheld In Seminole Heights Murder Case
HOWELL EMANUEL DONALDSON, III
BY IRIS B. HOLTON Sentinel City Editor
As the murder trial for
Howell Emanuel Donald- son, III, now 29, approaches, attorneys for him submitted a request to take the death penalty off the table. Last week, a judge denied the re- quest.
At the time of his indict- ment by the Grand Jury, the Hillsborough County Attor- ney’s Office said they would seek the death penalty in the case. Donaldson's defense attorneys sought that the death penalty be thrown out based on their belief that the death penalty was unconstitu- tional.
For fifty-one days, begin- ning 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 24-year-old How- ell Emanuel Donaldson, III, was arrested. No other murders linked to Seminole Heights took place after the ar- rest.
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 didn’t raise too many eye- 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
BENJAMIN MITCHELL Died October 9, 2017
ANTHONY NAIBOA Died October 19, 2017
the area. They felt residents, especially in the Seminole Heights area, should be alerted.
The next murder came
MONICA HOFFA Died October 11, 2017
RONALD FELTON Died November 14, 2017
about on October 19th, shortly before 8 p. m. Anthony Nai- boa, 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- lice blanketed the Seminole Heights area. A reward was of- fered 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. Nebraska Avenue and E. Caracas. Fel- ton was approached from be- hind.
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.
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