Florida prosecutors seek death penalty in Tampa serial killings

WASHINGTON, Jan. 23 (Xinhua) -- Prosecutors of U.S. state of Florida said Tuesday that they would seek death penalty for a 24-year-old man suspected of randomly killing four people in a neighborhood.

Hillsborough State Attorney Andrew Warren announced the decision during a Tuesday morning news conference in Tampa, a major city and the county seat of Hillsborough County, Florida.

Howell Emanuel Donaldson III is charged with first-degree murder in the death of Benjamin Mitchell, 22, Monica Hoffa, 32, Anthony Naiboa, 20, and Ronald Felton, 60.

"The death penalty is for the worst of the worst, crimes that are far more egregious than the typical murder, and that's what we have here," Warren said.

The four victims were shot dead in October and November, leading to a manhunt in the Seminole Heights neighborhood in Tampa.

Donaldson was arrested on Nov. 28 after he handed a bag with a pistol inside to a coworker at a McDonald's restaurant near the terrorized neighborhood.

The coworker alerted the police, who then arrested Donaldson. Prosecutors said ballistics tests showed the weapon was used in those shootings.

Warren said that Donaldson killed four innocent people in a "cold, calculated and premeditated manner" and that there is no evidence showing he is mentally ill.

He also said that at first, some families of the victims favored a death penalty for Donaldson while others preferred a life sentence, but in the end, all favored a death sentence.

The defendant's parents reportedly face civil contempt charges due to their refusal to answer prosecutors' questions about their son. Enditem