A Florida man who molested a 17-year-old girl later hired his own cousin to fatally shoot the teen in her home in a disturbing murder-for-hire plot. Now, he is behind bars for life, federal prosecutors announced Monday.
Lenard White, 36, paid his cousin Sheldon Robinson, 21, at least $6,000 to kill high school junior Isabella Scavelli and prevent her from testifying about the 2023 sexual assault, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Florida’s Middle District said. Both men were convicted on murder and conspiracy charges.
According to prosecutors, Robinson “fired a barrage of gunshots” when Scavelli answered the door at her family’s home on February 7, 2023. The attack left her dead and her mother wounded.
“The bullet that killed [Scavelli] struck her in the back as she ran away from her front door for help,” prosecutors detailed in a release. “[Her mother] was struck several times but survived. She collapsed on the ground and watched her daughter die.”
A third accomplice, 22-year-old Keshawn Woods, previously pleaded guilty for his involvement in the plot. All three convicts were also charged with tampering with evidence and obstructing justice. Additionally, Robinson’s mother, Janet Williams, was charged with lying to investigators in an effort to conceal the crime.
Isabella Scavelli, identified as the victim by Fox affiliate WTVT News, had reported the sexual assault to the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office just one day before she was shot and killed.
Authorities revealed that White had posted online seeking a killer and deliberately ensured he was out of state at the time of the shooting to distance himself from the crime—a ploy that ultimately failed to deceive law enforcement.
The conspirators were arrested in 2023. White and Robinson were found guilty by a federal jury last week following a two-week trial, officials confirmed. Disturbingly, the pair also discussed killing another potential witness, according to authorities.
Both men face “multiple mandatory life sentences” when they return to court for sentencing in January.
https://nypost.com/2025/11/10/us-news/florida-man-paid-his-cousin-6k-to-kill-the-17-year-old-high-school-junior-he-molested-feds/