The parents of a suspect in the random shooting deaths of four people have showed up late for a civil contempt hearing in Florida and have been placed on house arrest after refusing to cooperate with prosecutors.
Circuit Judge Mark Wolfe ordered the confinement of Howell Donaldson Jr. and Rosita Donaldson on Friday.
Their 24-year-old son, Howell Donaldson III, is charged with four counts of first-degree murder in the October and November shootings of four people in Tampa’s Seminole Heights neighborhood.
Howell Donaldson Jr. and Rosita Donaldson (pictured in December after their son’s arrest) were placed under house arrest themselves on Friday
The couple are pictured in court on Friday to be placed under house arrest
He is accused of shooting dead victims Benjamin Mitchell, Monica Hoffa, Anthony Naiboa and Ronald Felton.
Howell Donaldson III, 24, is accused of four counts of first degree murder
He was arrested after allegedly handing the gun he used in the attacks to a McDonald’s worker in one of the fast food restaurant’s paper bags in December.
Donaldson allegedly told the worker he was going to go out of town afterwards.
His parents at first said they were ‘devastated’ by his arrest.
They vowed to stand by him and said they could not believe that he was capable of such violence.
‘I prayed for those families when it first started,” she said, holding back tears.
“And then when they arrested my son, devastation, because I love my son, and it was disbelief that this was happening to our family.
Rita and Howell Jr. said they were devastated by their son’s arrest in December
‘And we question why,’ his mother told ABC in December.
Assistant State Attorney Jay Pruner said Florida law doesn’t give parents privilege against testifying against a child.
The Tampa Bay Times reports he suggested home confinement as an alternative to jail.
Their son is facing the death penalty.
Benjamin Mitchell, 22, was killed on October 9 and Ronald Felton was killed on November 14
Monica Hoff, 32, died on October 11 and Anthony Naiboa, 20, died on October 19