Cousins Convicted in Murder-for-Hire Plot That Killed Teen Witness Isabella Scavelli

Twenty-four hours after Isabella Scavelli walked into the Hernando County Sheriff's Office to report a sexual assault, she was dead — shot in the back as she ran from her own front door.

A federal jury convicted Lenard White and his cousin Sheldon Robinson on all charges following a two-week trial, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Florida announced. White, 36, allegedly paid Robinson at least $6,000 to kill the 17-year-old Hernando High School junior and prevent her from testifying about the February 6, 2023 assault. Both men face multiple mandatory life sentences at a sentencing hearing scheduled for January 30, 2026.

Prosecutors say Robinson went to the Scavelli family home the morning after Isabella and her mother filed the report. When someone answered the door, Robinson "fired a barrage of gunshots." According to a prosecutors' release, "The bullet that killed [Scavelli] struck her in the back as she ran away from her front door for help. [Her mother] was struck several times but survived. She collapsed on the ground and watched her daughter die."

White, who also goes by "Len," "Mike Williams," and "Stick," allegedly left Florida before the shooting to establish an alibi — a strategy prosecutors say did not hold up against the evidence. Officials said White had also posted online that he was looking for a killer before the plot was carried out. Robinson, known as "Poboy," later buried the murder weapon in a wooded area behind his home. Investigators found it roughly six months after the shooting when they executed a second search warrant.

The joint investigation by the Hernando County Sheriff's Office and the ATF produced more than 70 federal and state search warrants. Detectives uncovered a detailed plan outlining how Robinson carried out the shooting and who assisted him. Prosecutors said White and Robinson repeatedly attempted to obstruct the investigation by destroying evidence, tampering with witnesses, and lying to law enforcement. The two also discussed having another potential witness killed.

A third accomplice, Keshawn Woods, 22, previously pleaded guilty to his role in the plot. Robinson's mother, Janet Williams, was charged separately with lying to investigators to conceal the crime. White, Robinson, and Woods also face charges of tampering with evidence and obstructing justice.

Isabella Scavelli had been a junior at Hernando High School. She and her mother reported White's assault to the Hernando County Sheriff's Office on February 6, 2023. Robinson carried out the shooting the following morning. Both men were arrested later that year and stood trial before a federal jury that returned guilty verdicts on all counts after two weeks of proceedings.

Sentencing is scheduled for January 30, 2026, where White and Robinson each face multiple mandatory life terms.