TAMPA, Fla. — In audio and video clips released Wednesday by the State Attorney's Office, accused Seminole Heights killer Howell Donaldson III tells his parents he needs help, as well as tries to describe the way he's being treated while in jail and its effect on his mental state.

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The video and audio clips feature conversations Donaldson had with his parents, Howell and Rosita, during visitation. In one recording, Donaldson tells them he needs help.

During one exchange his mother asks about what he needs.

“Do you need lotion?” Rosita asks.

“No," Donaldson said. "I just need, I need help. I need help.”

That visit in January was right before Donaldson’s court appearance. In the recording he also said he had planned to ask a judge for help and expressed concern for what could happen if he didn’t get it.

“It’s my life and regardless of what they say, what you guys say, I have to take the initiative because I don’t want to one day y'all wake up and y'all see in the paper some crazy stuff,” Donaldson said.

Personally motivated treatment inside

Donaldson is also heard complaining about his treatment behind bars.

“The things I’ve experienced here have changed my life forever. Just how I see the world. The power of the mind is crazy,” said Donaldson.

He said the way he was being treated during his incarceration was personal.

“The reason why they do what they do is because they know I’m strong. That’s why it’s so bad," Donaldson explains. "I’ve been in here 14 months and the first three months they picked up on me as a person.”

“If the process is going for me and I have favor, then they make it worse," he went on. "They curse me worse. They punish me worse, they prescribe me worse stuff.”

He had a similar conversation with his parents by phone a few days before their visit. During that call, he indicated he hadn’t used the phones or talked to them for an entire year.

“I can’t even explain all the stuff that’s been happening to me in here," he told them. "I really can’t explain it. They’re in here killing me man. They’re in here killing me."

"Somebody's going to have to take responsibility"

Donaldson’s parents, in turn, prayed for him and encouraged him to be strong.

“We know how we raised you," his father said during one exchange. "We know what this family stands for. We know what you stand for. Don’t let nobody take that from you."

“Continue to keep your head up," Howell II went on. "Be strong in faith. Be strong in yourself. Be strong in God.”

While Donaldson and his parents were careful not to say too much on the recording about the case, Donaldson did say this: “Somebody’s going to have to take responsibility and accountability eventually. I know God going to see me through it.”

Donaldson’s parents were previously on house arrest, charged for not cooperating with investigators. However, documents show they've since reached an agreement with officials.  

Now 26 years old, Donaldson is charged with four counts of first-degree murder. The prosecution is seeking the death penalty in this case.

Donaldson’s next court appearance is on April 23.