Man, 37, Convicted of Hiring Cousin to Kill Girl, 17, a Day After She Reported Him to Police for S*xual Assault

A Florida man who allegedly s*xually assaulted a high school student — and then arranged her killing after learning she had reported him to authorities — has been convicted and is now headed to prison.

According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida, a federal jury found 37-year-old Lenard White guilty on all charges connected to the 2023 murder of 17-year-old Isabella Scavelli, who was fatally shot in front of her mother at their home in Brookesville, roughly 50 miles north of Tampa.

White now faces multiple mandatory life sentences after being convicted of conspiracy to commit murder for hire, murder for hire, witness tampering, two counts of obstruction of justice, two counts of discharging a firearm during a violent crime, and possession of cocaine with intent to distribute.

The shooter, 22-year-old Sheldon Robinson, was found guilty of the same charges, the release states.

White and Robinson are scheduled for sentencing on Jan. 30, 2026.

Isabella was a junior in high school, active on the tennis team and in the ROTC program. Prosecutors said she dreamed of joining the military after graduation.

On Feb. 6, 2023, Isabella and her mother, La Shawn Pope, went to the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office to report that “Lenard White had s*xually battered her,” according to a motion to sever filed in the case.

Prosecutors stated in opening arguments that the following day, on Feb. 7, Isabella and her mother were at home when someone knocked on their door just before midnight. When Isabella answered, she encountered Robinson, who then “fired a barrage of gunshots” into the home.

The shot that killed Isabella “struck her in the back as she ran away from her front door for help,” prosecutors said in the release. La Shawn “was struck several times” before collapsing and witnessing her daughter die.

Responders were initially unsure whether La Shawn would survive. She was quickly airlifted to a Tampa hospital for emergency treatment, according to a motion for detention filed by prosecutors.

The Hernando County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives launched a joint investigation and soon identified Robinson — and later White, his cousin — as key persons of interest. Still, it took eight months before prosecutors had enough evidence to charge the pair.

A major break came when investigators discovered the murder weapon buried in Robinson’s yard six months after the shooting.

At trial, prosecutors alleged that White offered Robinson $6,000 to kill Isabella after learning she had reported him. They said White traveled to Georgia to create an alibi while Robinson carried out the attack.

Prosecutors further stated that White and Robinson attempted to derail the investigation by disposing of evidence, tampering with witnesses, obstructing justice, and providing false statements to law enforcement. They also allegedly discussed plans to have another witness against them killed.

White and Robinson pleaded not guilty at trial. A third participant, Keshawn Woods, who accompanied Robinson on the night of the killing, previously pleaded guilty after admitting his involvement. He has not yet been sentenced.

Lawyers for White and Robinson did not respond to requests for comment.