Friends say accused serial killer is ‘polite, quiet’

He’s a kind kid, a friend said. You’d never expect that he would commit four murders, terrorizing a Tampa neighborhood and bringing his actions into the national spotlight.

But that’s what happened, police say. Howell “Trai” Donaldson III, 24, was arrested Tuesday and charged with four murders that he seemingly committed at random in Seminole Heights.

Kelly Fabian, a family friend, told Spectrum Bay News 9, that’s not the Donaldson she knew.

“He plays basketball, he’s very nice, he always waves,” said Fabian. “Very polite, quiet kid.”

A 2011 graduate of Alonso High School, Donaldson played basketball there and walked onto St. John’s University’s team, but didn’t earn any playing time during his time there. He graduated from college school with a sports medicine degree in January.

According to Spectrum Bay News 9, Donaldson returned to Tampa after graduation and began working as a customer service representative at the Ultimate Medical Academy. He was fired from that job after he repeatedly failed to show up for work, the company said.

Most recently, Donaldson worked at a Ybor City McDonald’s. He was arrested at his workplace after handing his co-worker a bag containing what police say is the firearm used to kill Benjamin Mitchell, 22, Monica Hoffa, 32, Anthony Naiboa, 20 and Ronald Felton, 60.

“I just couldn’t believe it,” Fabian said. “It’s a shame because the family is so nice, very nice people.”

Officials say they haven’t yet determined what connection Donaldson has to the Seminole Heights neighborhood. His parents own the Shear Excellence Hair Academy, but they live about 10 miles away from where the murders occurred.

That’s what baffles criminal profile professionals, said Bryanna Fox, a former FBI agent and current professor of criminology at the University of South Florida.

“While we do see that killers may travel to commit their crimes, they typically keep traveling,” said Fox in an interview with Spectrum Bay News 9. “They don't keep going back to the same place if it holds no value or meaning to them.”

Fox expects authorities to eventually discover a link to Seminole Heights or a motive for the murders. She said that it could have been fueled by small triggers that built up over time.

"He did go to college. He was playing basketball. He was maybe hoping to have this good job or be on the NBA team and if he didn't get that he might have felt like society did him wrong," Fox said.

Donaldson made his first court appearance Thursday morning. He is being held without bond and is scheduled to reappear 10 a.m. Tuesday.

This story was originally published November 30, 2017 at 10:21 AM with the headline "Friends say accused serial killer is ‘polite, quiet’."