The murder of 17-year-old Isabella Scavelli is the kind of case that tests the boundaries of grief, justice, and public outrage.
A bright Florida high school junior—an ROTC student and tennis player with plans to join the military—was shot dead in her own home, one day after reporting a sexual assault to police.
Federal prosecutors now say her killing was not random, not impulsive, and not without motive. It was a planned execution ordered by the very man she accused of sexually assaulting her.
According to federal authorities, Lenard White, 36, learned on Feb. 6, 2023, that Isabella had gone to the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office to report that he had sexually battered her. Instead of facing the investigation, prosecutors say he took a darker path—paying his cousin, Sheldon Robinson, at least $6,000 to silence the teenager permanently.
Just before midnight the next evening, Isabella answered a knock at the door of her home in Brooksville. Prosecutors said Robinson “fired a barrage of gunshots” as soon as she opened it.
A bullet struck her in the back as she ran for help. Her mother, La Shawn Pope, was shot multiple times but survived long enough to witness her daughter die on the floor beside her.
Authorities later discovered the murder weapon buried in Robinson’s yard.
A Web of Tampering, Lies, and Desperation
White allegedly fled to Georgia to craft an alibi while Robinson carried out the attack. Prosecutors said the cousins and an accomplice then worked to cover their tracks—tampering with evidence, intimidating witnesses, and even discussing killing another potential witness.
A third man, Keshawn Woods, who was with Robinson during the attack, has already pleaded guilty. Robinson’s mother, Janet Williams, was also charged for lying to investigators in a failed attempt to protect her son.
During the investigation, authorities unearthed another disturbing detail: White had been posting online seeking someone to commit a killing.
Convicted — and Facing Life
Last week, after a two-week federal trial, White and Robinson were convicted on every major count, including:
- Conspiracy to commit murder for hire
- Murder for hire
- Witness tampering
- Multiple counts of obstruction of justice
- Discharging a firearm in furtherance of a violent crime
- Drug charges connected to White
They each face multiple mandatory life sentences when they return to court in January.
A Human Story Amid Legal Procedure
Stories like Isabella’s are hard to write and harder to read—but they matter.
They raise urgent questions about the safety of young survivors who come forward, the systems meant to protect them, and the predators who attempt to exploit, silence, or destroy them.
Her mother, who survived what prosecutors called an “execution at the front door,” now becomes the most crucial witness to a tragedy that should never have happened.
A Community Left Demanding Answers
This case has shaken Hernando County, and rightfully so. A teen bravely reported a crime, only to be killed for telling the truth. It’s a chilling reminder that justice systems must move quickly—and visibly—to protect vulnerable victims who step forward.
The convictions bring accountability, but they do not bring Isabella back. Her life, full of potential and anchored in service, was stolen in one of the most calculated crimes Florida has seen in recent years.
