iStock/Thinkstock(TAMPA, Fla.) — Cell phone information and shell casings place the man arrested Tuesday at the scenes of a string of killings in Tampa, according to a police affidavit filed early Wednesday.
Howell Donaldson III, also known as Trai, was arrested Tuesday afternoon at a McDonald’s in Ybor City, Florida.
Police say he will be charged with four counts of first-degree murder for a string of killings over the past six weeks in the Seminole Heights neighborhood of Tampa, Florida.
A person identified as Witness 3 in a police affidavit told police that Donaldson walked into the McDonald’s Tuesday afternoon at about 2:45 p.m. and handed them a bag with a loaded .40-caliber Glock firearm inside, and said he planned to leave the state.
Donaldson allegedly purchased the firearm from just six days before the first killing on October 9, and picked up the gun and ammunition on October 7, according to police.
According to an analysis by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), cartridge casings found at the crime scenes matched the .40-caliber Glock handgun possessed by the suspect.
Police also said Donaldson’s cell phone was geographically associated with a cell tower near three homicide locations within minutes of the murders on Oct. 9, 11 and 19.
Residents in the Tampa neighborhood traumatized by the string of mysterious killings “can rest comfortably” now that the suspected serial killer has been arrested, Mayor Bob Buckhorn said on Good Morning America today.
“This was a good night last night thanks to the work of the Tampa Police department and all of our partners and chief Dugan,” he said, referring to Tampa Police Chief Brian Dugan. “The folks in Seminole Heights, we think, can rest comfortably that this individual is in custody and now the process starts moving forward. But it’s a good day in Tampa.”
The 24-year-old Donaldson was a graduate of St. John’s University in New York City, but a Tampa native.
Police say they are unsure of a motive behind the four killings, and do not yet know of a connection between the alleged killer and the Seminole Heights neighborhood where the killings took place.
Florida Governor Rick Scott commended the “relentless effort” of the Tampa police, who worked through the Thanksgiving weekend on the case, in a statement released late Tuesday.
“As a father and a grandfather, it is unimaginable what the families of these victims are going through,” Scott said. “Our thoughts and prayers remain with them, and we will work to ensure that they receive the justice they deserve. In Florida, we have absolutely zero tolerance for this type of evil behavior and anyone responsible will be held to the fullest extent of the law.”
The first killing took place October 9, when 22-year-old Benjamin Mitchell was shot. The body of 32-year-old Monica Hoffa was found on October 13, just half a mile from where Mitchell was killed, police said. Anthony Naiboa, 20, was killed on October 19 after taking the wrong bus home from work, and 60-year-old Robert Felton was killed in a crosswalk on November 13.
Copyright © 2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.