HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — The man accused of killing four people in Seminole Heights in 2017, also known as "The Seminole Heights serial killer," does not want those words to be mentioned in court.
Howell Trae Donaldson's public defender submitted a motion to exclude the terms "Serial killer" or "Seminole Heights serial killer" from his trial.
His legal team argued that the words would influence the potential jury pool and jeopardize Donaldson's right to a fair trial.
Prosecutors are not opposing the motion, according to court documents, so the judge will now make the decision.
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This comes after Donaldson’s lawyers asked for the four murders to be consolidated into one trial instead of four separate cases.
However, attorneys representing Donaldson said that their justification for requesting separate trials was no longer required.
Ballistic evidence that was "clearly related" to the murders would be presented to the jury in the four cases, the motion stated.
If there is a link between the killings, the evidence could be used in both trials, giving the jury access to material from the other trials.
Donaldson was charged with four counts of first-degree murder and could receive the death penalty if found guilty.
The summer of 2023 could be chosen as a potential trial date.
