Man charged with Seminole Heights killings waives bond hearing

A court appearance for a suspect in four murders was canceled, according to reports.

Howell Donaldson III, 24, was scheduled to have a bond hearing Tuesday morning; however, it was canceled when Donaldson, through his attorney, waived his right to the hearing, according to Spectrum Bay News 9.

Donaldson will remain in jail without bond, Bay News 9 reported.

Tampa police arrested Donaldson on Nov. 28, after receiving a tip from a Ybor City McDonald’s employee that he had just handed her a bag with a gun inside, according to an arrest affidavit.

Police recovered the gun, which they said matched the type used in four murders in Seminole Heights since Oct. 9, and searched Donaldson’s vehicle in the McDonald’s parking lot, where he also worked, according to the affidavit. Clothes found in side the vehicle appeared to investigators to be a possible match to clothing seen worn by a person in surveillance footage after one of the murders and cell phone records found that within minutes of three of the slayings, Donaldson’s phone was in the area of the murders.

The victims

Benjamin Mitchell, 22 was killed at approximately 9 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 9.

Monica Hoffa, 32, was shot on Wednesday, Oct. 11, and her body was found two days later.

Anthony Naiboa, 20, was shot at approximately 8 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 19.

Ronald Felton, 60, was shot at approximately 4:51 a.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 14.

This story was originally published December 5, 2017 at 9:51 AM with the headline "Man charged with Seminole Heights killings waives bond hearing."