Tampa Serial Killer Charged With Four Counts Of First Degree

Residents in Florida can sleep a little more soundly in their beds tonight.

The alleged Tampa serial killer has been arrested and charged with murdering four people.

Howell Donaldson was arrested after police received a tip from a McDonald’s staff member on Tuesday afternoon.

Gail Rogers worked at the McDonald’s with Donaldson.

She told The Tampa Bay Times Donaldson walked into the restaurant in his work uniform.

He then bizarrely asked the manager to hold his loaded 9mm handgun.

Donaldson, (who goes family name Trai) then walked to Amscot to get a payday loan.

The McDonald’s manager then told Rogers to alert a female officer in the premises.

That officer then called for backup.

Now Donaldson has been charged of fatally shooting Benjamin Mitchell, Monica Hoffa, Anthony Naiboa and Ronald Felton.

Donaldson had worked at McDonald’s for about four months.

He was born in North Carolina but spent most of his life in Tampa, Florida. He was a promising basketball player and went to St John’s University in New York. 

The brutal murders started 51 days ago in the city’s Seminole Height’s neighborhood.  

Speaking after the arrest, Mayor Bob Buckhorn said: ‘Fifty one days ago I said this was a struggle between good and evil.’

‘Well, tonight goodness has won.’ 

Each of the four victims was killed but not robbed while they walked along at night within a half-mile area of the Seminole Heights neighborhood.  

The victims, though, didn’t have any common similarities based on race, age or occupation. 

The first attack happened on October 9 when Benjamin Mitchell was shot dead after getting off a bus in the neighborhood at night.  

Two days after Mitchell, 22, was shot, Monica Hoffa, 32, was gunned down.

And on October 19, Anthony Naiboa, 20, was shot after taking the wrong bus home from his new job.

In late October a blurry video of a suspect was released. A man can be seen wearing a hooded jacket and walking down a street near one of the shootings. 

Another video was released on November 16. Police believe it is the same man, who was present near the fatal shooting of Ronald Felton. 

Felton was the last of the four victims to be killed, and was shot on November 14.