TAMPA, Fla — In 2017, Howell Donaldson III was arrested and accused of four killings that terrorized the Seminole Heights community.
Each of the shootings carries its own set of evidence and information, but it won't all be laid out for jurors across the suspected shooter's four trials.
On Thursday, a judge denied the state's request to introduce similar evidence across the four crimes into each separate trial.
Prosecutors argued that evidence shows a "unique pattern of criminal activity" that would be relevant to the other cases, while the defense said each case was a "similar but separate episode that must be tried separately," according to court documents.
"The Court does not find the details surrounding the four murders to be sufficiently similar to warrant admission in each individual trial," the judge wrote.
Instead, jurors assigned to each of Donaldson's four separate trials will only focus on the one specific murder case in front of them.
The court's ruling also stated that while the state's facts in its motion were accurate, it does not find the "similarities" to differentiate the murders from "practically any other homicide."
Donaldson is accused of killing Benjamin Mitchell, Monica Hoffa, Anthony Naiboa and Ronald Felton in October and November of 2017. All four shootings happened within blocks of each other. Police say they believe the shooter chose his targets at random.
The killings led to a massive manhunt that led to Donaldson's capture at the McDonald's where he worked.
His trial dates have not been set. He faces the death penalty if convicted.
- Gov. DeSantis lowering vaccine eligibility age to 40 starting Monday, 18 starting April 5
- School board fires Florida teacher for medical marijuana use
- Needle phobia is real and could be keeping people from getting vaccinated
- Hillsborough parents fuming over two-person limit at graduations
- Iceland volcano tourist tried to cook bacon and eggs on the lava
- DOJ: Florida Proud Boys member accused of breaching US Capitol during insurrection
- Here are the 10 people killed in the Boulder, Colorado, shooting
►Breaking news and weather alerts: Get the free 10 Tampa Bay app
►Stay In the Know! Sign up now for the Brightside Blend Newsletter
