TAMPA, Fla. — The trial for the man accused of killing four people in Seminole Heights in 2017 will begin in August 2023.
Hillsborough County said the trial of Howell Donaldson, III, will begin the week of August 7, 2023, and could run as long as nine weeks, according to a schedule released by the court Tuesday.
The setting of Donaldson's trial comes weeks after his attorneys asked for the four murder cases to be consolidated into a single trial rather than four separate cases. That was a surprise to some, as just two years ago, a judge granted a motion to sever the cases against Donaldson.
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Donaldson's attorneys said the reason they asked for separate trials is no longer necessary. According to the defense, the juries for the four trials would be shown ballistic evidence "clearly linked" to the murders. If the evidence connects the murders, it will allow the evidence to be shared between the trials, allowing jurors to hear information on the other trials.
Donaldson faces four counts of first-degree murder in connection to the murders of Benjamin Mitchell, Monica Hoffa, Anthony Naiboa, and Ronald Felton.
