[maz]

While mass shootings have dominated US headline news, Florida has had two separate cases of serial killers since October 2017. One killer operated in the Fl. Lauderdale/Miami area, and another is still on the loose in Tampa.

Florida's Seminole Heights Slayer 'won't stop,' serial killer expert says

He lurks in the shadows of the Seminole Heights neighborhood in central Tampa, Florida. He strikes under cover of darkness, always with a firearm. But he does not appear to target specific individuals. The age and gender of his victims seem inconsequential.

According to a serial killer expert, this is the emerging picture of the person the media has taken to calling the Seminole Heights Slayer. Four people have been fatally shot in the last five weeks, and authorities say they suspect a single person is responsible: a serial killer.

“The fact that he’s using a gun is an indication that he’s more focused on the act of killing than the process of killing,” said criminologist Scott Bonn, who has spent years studying and interviewing some of the most notorious serial killers.

Bonn explained that the Seminole Heights Slayer is an anomaly in the world of serial killers. The shootings appear to be impersonal and lack the familiar hallmarks of fantasy or pleasure.

“This guy is terrorizing this neighborhood, and his modus operandi suggests to me that he is mission-oriented,” Bonn said. “He seems to have more in common with a mass murderer than an average serial killer. He appears to be sending a similar message: ‘You will recognize me. You will remember me. I am someone to be reckoned with.’”

Four people have been killed within a mile of each other: Ronald Felton, 60; Anthony Naiboa, 20; Monica Hoffa, 32; and Benjamin Mitchell, 22.

Here was the one from October 2017.

Man Accused of Going on Homeless Killing Spree in Broward, Leaving Message in Blood

A man who went on a killing spree targeting homeless people at random in Broward County and even marked one scene with blood is facing three murder charges, authorities say.

Nathaniel Maurice Petgrave, 22, is being held without bond at the Broward jail facing three counts of premeditated murder.

"This individual did kill three so I guess by dictionary definition he would qualify as a serial killer," Fort Lauderdale Police Chief Rick Maglione said at a news conference Wednesday. "In his conversation with the detective, he said his intention was to kill five people."

Police say Petgrave targeted two men at a gas station in Lauderhill on Oct. 20. He shot and killed one man, 65-year-old Larry Scott, and left another critically wounded.

The next day, Oct. 21, police say he shot and killed 50-year-old John Jackson as he worked on his car outside the Midway Food Store at 110 Northwest 11th Avenue in Fort Lauderdale.

On Oct. 27, police say Petgrave killed 46-year-old Derrick Tucker, who was living in a storage unit on Northwest 23rd Avenue in Fort Lauderdale. Written next to the body in blood was the number "4" and the words "Stop Wait Time," police said.

Police said they found a pipe vice, machete and handsaw next to Tucker's body, all covered in blood. The body had multiple sharp force and blunt force injuries, police said.

Police say Petgrave himself was homeless and living near the Swap Shop. He was initially arrested last month for operating a stolen vehicle but later came to the station to pick up his belongings and confessed to the crimes, police said.

When he confessed to the crimes, he admitted he wrote the number in blood because he believed Tucker was his fourth victim, an arrest report said.

[ness31]

Four people have been killed within a mile of each other: Ronald Felton, 60; Anthony Naiboa, 20; Monica Hoffa, 32; and Benjamin Mitchell, 22.

The link is where they live, but there must be something else that ties the victims together. Going by the names I’m guessing they were all Caucasian...except maybe for Anthony Naiboa

[maz]

The link is where they live, but there must be something else that ties the victims together. Going by the names I’m guessing they were all Caucasian...except maybe for Anthony Naiboa

Actually, the victims of the serial killer who is still on the loose, the victims were three black men, and one victim was a white woman.

Now there is a suspect for the second Florida serial killer. Even if there was only one instance of serial killers in Florida, you think that would be more than just local coverage.

Witness provides description of Seminole Heights murder suspect after 4th victim found in road

The crime scene is a few blocks away from a memorial that honors three people who were previously shot and killed in Seminole Heights. The serial murderer has not been caught.

At 4:51 a.m. on Tuesday, Tampa police officers responded to North Nebraska Ave and East McBerry Street after receiving a report of shots heard in the area.

Officers arrived at the scene within seconds and found an adult male, later identified as Ronald Felton, 60, deceased in the street. Witnesses told police that Mr. Felton was crossing the street to meet someone when the suspect came up behind him and shot him. Police say Felton was shot at least one time in the back of the head.

The suspect is described as a black male, 6′ to 6′ 2″ tall and has a thin build and a light complexion. He was armed with a large black pistol and was last seen wearing all black clothing.

Tampa Police Chief Brian Dugan said police are treating the case as if it is linked to three previous murders in Seminole Heights.

“We think by their proximity and the manner it was done, they are linked,” said Dugan during a news conference on Tuesday morning. “We’re saying it’s related to the other Seminole Heights murders.”

Police believe the murderer is still in the area. Police want residents to stay inside their homes.

Police have set up a perimeter in an effort to catch the killer. The perimeter has been set from Osborne Avenue to Hillsborough Avenue and Nebraska Street to North 15th Street.

Eight schools in Seminole Heights were placed on lock-in as a precautionary measure for part of the morning on Tuesday. The lock-ins were lifted for all schools around 10 a.m. with the exception of Edison Elementary School which remains on lock-in status as of 10:10 a.m. Lock-in means access to the campus is tightly controlled. Students can be dropped off, but outdoor activities will not take place.

Police are asking residents to review any surveillance cameras they may have and share it with our detectives. “Make sure your video is up and running,” said Dugan.

[Godstud]

How do you even notice serial killers when you have idiots doing mass shootings every week?

[ness31]

Actually, the victims of the serial killer who is still on the loose, the victims were three black men, and one victim was a white woman.

The suspect is described as a black male, 6′ to 6′ 2″ tall and has a thin build and a light complexion. He was armed with a large black pistol and was last seen wearing all black clothing.

A male, black serial killer targeting black men and one white woman with a really famous surname. It’s got me stumped.
I mean, it doesn’t even sound opportunistic considering the murder of Mr Felton was witnessed...it was something he just had to do

[Saeko]

I didn't realize Dexter was a documentary.

[Ganeshas Rat]

I didn't realize Dexter was a documentary.

Dexter would kill those two in the first two series. Something says me there are at least ten killers yet to be found.

[maz]

The allegedly found the serial killer. It only took them 51 days to do it so I am wondering if this guy murdered someone and they are just going to pin all the murders on this guy.

Either way, two serial killers in the span of only two months in the same general area of one state, and these stories have barely broken out of local news, with little interest from nation news outlets?

McDonald’s employee charged in 4 Tampa murders, police say

A McDonald’s employee who brought a loaded handgun to the fast-food restaurant was charged with the shooting deaths of four people who have been killed in Seminole Heights since early October, Tampa police said.

Howell Emanuel Donaldson III, 24, was in custody on Tuesday, according to police.

“This is the only arrest. He did it, that’s the way it goes,” Tampa Police Chief Brian Dugan said Wednesday morning.

On Tuesday afternoon, Tampa police received a tip that a man handed a loaded 9mm handgun to one of his co-workers at an Ybor City McDonald’s and asked the worker to hold it while he went to an Amscot money superstore to get a payday loan, the Tampa Bay Times reported.

When the man returned to the restaurant, where he worked, Tampa police, who had been alerted by the manager, took him to headquarters to ask him about the gun.

Police did not release details about the arrest, citing the open investigation.

Dugan said the department had received “over 5,000 tips’’ since the murders began 51 days ago.

The killings began with the shooting death of Benjamin Mitchell, 22, in front of his home at a bus stop on Oct. 9. The second victim, Monica Hoffa, 32, was killed Oct. 11. Her body was found two days later by a city employee in a vacant parking lot half a mile from where Mitchell was slain, the Bradenton Herald reported.

On Oct. 19, Anthony Naiboa, an autistic 20-year-old who had just graduated from high school, was found shot to death about 50 feet away from the bus stop where Mitchell died.

Ronald Felton, 60, was the fourth victim. He was found Nov. 14.

Gail Rogers, who works at the McDonald’s, told the Tampa Bay Times the employee whom police questioned worked at the restaurant for just four months.

Some of the victims’ family members spoke after it was reported that police may have had a break in the case.

“I am nervous, and I really, I want this to be the end of this,” Kenny Hoffa, the father of Monica Hoffa, told the Tampa Bay Times. “It is like riding a roller coaster right before you go over the edge and you feel your stomach raise up in your face. This is the same thing. I am just extremely optimistic myself. I am praying that this is the end to it.”

Dugan said at a press conference earlier in the day that the McDonald’s tip was significant.

“Things are starting to fall into place. But we’ve had that before and unfortunately, it’s led to nothing. I’m guarded because I’ve been on this road before. It’s day 51 that we’ve been doing this. It’s been two weeks since Ronald Felton was murdered. It’s been a long time for the families and the cops and so I’m guarded on the whole thing but I’m very optimistic. This will be a long night.”

[Rancid]

The allegedly found the serial killer. It only took them 51 days to do it so I am wondering if this guy murdered someone and they are just going to pin all the murders on this guy.

Either way, two serial killers in the span of only two months in the same general area of one state, and these stories have barely broken out of local news, with little interest from nation news outlets?

McDonald’s employee charged in 4 Tampa murders, police say

Falsely pinning all the murders on someone wouldn't simply work. The real murder would just strike again. They must be pretty sure this is the guy.

[Decky]

Either way, two serial killers in the span of only two months in the same general area of one state, and these stories have barely broken out of local news, with little interest from nation news outlets?

Americans are always butchering each other, sometimes dozens at once. If they were all reported on there would be no time to report on anything else.

Always reporting on Americans committing mass murder would be like reporting of Frenchmen drinking wine or Scots being violent in pubs, it just isn't practical.

[Rancid]

Americans are always butchering each other, sometimes dozens at once. If they were all reported on there would be no time to report on anything else.

Always reporting on Americans committing mass murder would be like reporting of Frenchmen drinking wine or Scots being violent in pubs, it just isn't practical.

Let's have some perspective. The murder rate in the US is half of what it was 40 years ago. The butchering has lessened.

The most homicidal time in American history is the 1970s

[Godstud]

Not according to Trump! It's the worst ever!
#Americasneverbeengreat

[ness31]

So was this Tampa arrest the same one where the black woman doing supposed sign language at the press conference was actually signing gibberish?

[Godstud]

In her defense, the press conference WAS gibberish. Americans should be used to it, by now.