Man charged in Seminole Heights murders to be held without bond

In his first court appearance before a judge Thursday, the man suspected of killing four people in Tampa’s Seminole Heights neighborhood was ordered held without bond.

Judge Margaret Taylor ruled Thursday morning that Howell Donaldson III, 24, facing four counts of murder, will be held without bond until a hearing scheduled for 10 a.m. Tuesday.

During a news conference, Hillsborough County State Attorney Andrew Warren said the case will need to be presented to a grand jury to obtain a first-degree murder indictment.

“For the community’s safety, we’re seeking that the defendant be held without bail during the trial,” Warren said.

He added that there are a number of factors to consider before prosecutors decide whether to seek the death penalty in the case.

“The death penalty should be reserved for the worst of the worst offenders in our society, and generally speaking, a serial killer would qualify. But it is my duty to follow the law,” Warren said. “We will prosecute this case to the fullest extent of the law.”

Appearing via a video linkup from the Hillsborough County Jail, Donaldson was shackled and wore a sleeveless, blue padded anti-suicide vest. Two bailiffs held him by the arms during the hearing as family members of the victims watched from the courtroom.

Donaldson was arrested Tuesday after police received a tip from an employee at a Ybor City McDonald’s that Donaldson, who was a crew chief at the fast-food restaurant, had a gun in a bag.

Donaldson’s co-worker looked inside the bag, spotted the weapon and approached a Tampa police officer who was sitting in the restaurant doing paperwork. When Donaldson returned to the McDonald’s, police were waiting.

The gun, a .40-caliber Glock, was the same type of weapon used in the murders, according to the affidavit. The ammunition found inside the gun also matched the casings found at all four scenes.

Donaldson admitted to police that he owned the gun, according to the arrest affidavit.

Police searched Donaldson’s vehicle and found clothing inside that appeared similar to clothing seen in security footage from the area near one of the shootings. The clothing also appeared to have possible blood stains, according to an arrest affidavit.

Police also obtained Donaldson’s cellphone records and found that within minutes of slayings on Oct. 9, 11 and 19, his phone was “geographically associated with the AT&T cell tower providing coverage for the areas that include all the homicide locations,” the affidavit stated.

Donaldson has not admitted to the murders.

Donaldson attended St. John’s University in Queens, graduating in January.

After graduating from college, Donaldson worked in customer support at the Ultimate Medical Academy, a school that trains workers for health care jobs. He started there in February and worked for about three months before he was fired for absenteeism. The academy said he passed a background check before he was hired.

His LinkedIn account also listed a job as a “guest experience host” for the

New York Mets in 2016. The Mets would neither confirm nor deny that he was employed by them.

The arrest brought immense relief to the Seminole Heights neighborhood, where many outdoor activities had stopped since the first death Oct. 9. Two more fatal shootings happened in the weeks that followed, and residents were so scared that police escorted children while they trick-or-treated. The fourth killing happened in November.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

This story was originally published November 30, 2017 at 9:39 AM with the headline "Man charged in Seminole Heights murders to be held without bond."