Florida serial killer theories are being discussed by experts after three people have been killed in a Tampa neighborhood with no apparent connection to each other, the Tampa Bay Times reported.
The three victims – two African-American men and one white woman – all under the age of 32 have been shot and killed in the Seminole Heights area within a two-week period, the newspaper said.
"If we are talking about one killer, then we are talking about a serial killer in Tampa," criminologist Jack Levin told the Times. "However, he does differ from the typical serial killer in a very important way: He used a firearm."
Police believe the deaths of Benjamin Mitchell, 22, Monica Hoffa, 32, and Anthony Naiboa, 20, all shot within a few blocks of one another, were done by the same person, WTVT-TV stated.
"(The killer probably has a) deep and personal relationship with the area," Enzo Yaksic, of the Serial Homicide Expertise and Information Sharing Collaborative, told the Tampa Bay Times. "The disparity between the offender's perceived lower status may be driving his motivations to victimize those from other statuses.
"(The) timing could indicate that the offender is employed during the daylight hours in some menial capacity based on his potential age range," Yaksic continued.
Bryanna Fox, a former FBI agent and assistant professor at the University of South Florida, told WFLA-TV that while she also believes a serial killer is at work, the case is unusual.
"This serial killer is unique," Fox told WFLA-TV. "He's not pre-selecting his victims; he's definitely not stalking them, following them. The third victim wasn't even meant to be in Seminole Heights at that time.
"For this killer to go uncaught, he has to get lucky every single time, but for the police to catch him, they only have to get lucky once," Fox continued.
On Thursday, police released a surveillance video clip recorded during Mitchell's murder earlier this month showed a man running away from the scene, WTVT-TV reported.
"The cop in me says, 'why are you running seconds after the murder of Benjamin Mitchell?'" Tampa interim Police Chief Brian Dugan said, according to the television station. "I've come up with four reasons why this person is running: One, they may be late for dinner; two, they're out exercising; three, they heard gunshots; and number four, they just murdered Benjamin Mitchell."
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.