'The Murders of Seminole Heights' documentary remembers victims of serial killer

Seminole Heights serial killer profiled in documentary

Nearly nine years ago, the Seminole Heights neighborhood was on edge for weeks because of a serial killer who took four lives before he was finally arrested. FOX 13's Danielle Zulkosky reports. 

SEMINOLE HEIGHTS, Fla. - The Seminole Heights community was held hostage by a serial killer on the loose for 51 days back in 2017. Now, that harrowing time is being remembered by a documentary called, "The Murders of Seminole Heights."

The film premiered on Thursday night at the Gasparilla International Film Festival at the AMC West Shore Theatre in Tampa.

What we know:

The film was locally produced. Joseph Guerra, the film's director, said it was important for Floridians to get to tell this story.

"It was horrifying," Guerra said. "But just a story that I felt like needed to be told."

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"Anybody could be a potential victim," said scriptwriter Gordon Weller. "And so that sets the entire neighborhood on edge. And it really did feel like people just didn't know who to trust."

The convicted killer, Howell Emanuel Donaldson III, took four people's lives. In 2023, he pleaded guilty to four counts of murder and was sentenced to life in prison. 

The Victims

The victims' names were Benjamin Mitchell, Monica Hoffa, Anthony Naiboa and Ronald Felton. Each person with a life, family and friends who say they were taken from too soon.

The film crew says, above all else, their lives should be remembered. 

"Do it in a way that felt genuine to Tampa, felt genuine for the residents of Seminal Heights and also honored the victims and would help bring some closure for the families," Weller said.

The film was done by Floridians about Floridians, something that the creators said sets this piece apart.

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"It means more to us, like I said; we all lived through it," Weller said. "We can tell it from the perspective of the residents. People who were here, people who lived through every moment."

"This story kind of became the thing that put all the stuff that I've kind of learned over the years into one really cohesive story that benefits the community," Guerra said.

The Film

This is an independent film. The film was produced by Shoplifter Studios in partnership with its sister company PPK.

Filmmakers say the goal was to tell the story with integrity. 

"Expect a true story, expect no sensationalizing of the story, no sensationalizing here with the story and just being honest with it and giving a full timeline of what went down," Guerra said.

All of this in an effort to honor the victims and their families.

"I wish we didn't do this documentary because then these people would still be around," Guerra said. "So I just want people to know that this is about these families and these victims and in hopes that what happened doesn't get forgotten."

What's next:

The team is submitting it to more film festivals with the hope of someday getting it on a streaming service.