Howell Donaldson III admitted to killing four people over a period of several weeks during the fall of 2017 in Tampa's Seminole Heights neighborhood — a sudden development Monday morning in a years-long case. Donaldson pleaded guilty to four counts of first-degree murder in a deal with prosecutors that will have him serve four consecutive life sentences, according to court spokesperson Mike Moore. He will avoid being sentenced to death because of the plea. "This remains and always will be a death penalty case. What this man did to four families and a small community within the city of Tampa is cold, calculated and unforgivable," State Attorney Suzy Lopez said during a news conference. Authorities tied Donaldson to the shooting deaths of Benjamin Mitchell, Monica Hoffa, Anthony Naiboa and Ronald Felton. Lopez explained that her office had the "moral and ethical obligation" to present Donaldson's guilty plea offer to the victim's families, who overwhelmingly supported it. MORE: https://www.wtsp.com/article/news/local/hillsboroughcounty/howell-donaldson-iii-guilty-seminole-heights-serial-killer/67-b41bddd2-f7f6-4b14-bb02-c19eb749d28e ►Subscribe: https://on.wtsp.com/youtube ►Website: https://www.wtsp.com/ ►Facebook: https://facebook.com/10TampaBay ►Twitter: https://twitter.com/10TampaBay