A Florida serial killer pleaded guilty to murdering four people and was sentenced to life in prison.
On Monday, officials announced that Howell Donaldson had confessed to the four murders and would spend the rest of his life behind bars.
In 2017, at the age of 24, Donaldson gunned down four people in Tampa’s Seminole Heights area. Despite maintaining his innocence until now, he pleaded guilty to four counts of first-degree murder to avoid the death penalty as part of an agreement with the State Attorney’s office.
State Attorney Suzy Lopez stressed that this case undeniably warranted the death penalty. She described Donaldson as a coward who committed atrocious acts, causing widespread chaos in the community for several weeks. Donaldson will no longer make headlines with his life sentence, allowing the victims’ families to move forward without enduring a protracted trial or appeals process, fulfilling their wishes.
Previously, the victims’ families had agreed with prosecutors in seeking the death penalty for Donaldson. However, he will now serve four consecutive life sentences instead of facing capital punishment.
Donaldson murdered three victims—Benjamin Edward Mitchell, 22, Monica Caridad Hoffa, 32, and Anthony Naiboa, 20, in October 2017. Naiboa was tragically shot after mistakenly taking the wrong bus home from his new job. The following month, Donaldson fatally shot Ronald Felton, 60, as Felton was crossing a street.
All four fatal shootings occurred during the early morning hours within 51 days. Donaldson did not live or work in the neighborhood where the crimes occurred.
Police arrested Donaldson in November 2017. On the day of his arrest, he visited the McDonald’s where he was employed and entrusted a bag to a coworker for safekeeping while he ran an errand. According to the arrest report, when the coworker opened the bag and discovered a firearm, they promptly informed their manager, who later contacted the police.
