Two Men Sentenced to Life Plus 100 Years for Retaliatory Contract Killing of Florida Teenager

Lenard White and Sheldon Robinson sentenced to life for the 2023 murder for hire of a 17 year old girl in Hernando County intended to silence a witness.

By: AXL Media

Published: Mar 17, 2026, 5:29 AM EDT

Source: Information for this report was sourced from Tampa Bay 28

A Severe Sentence for a Premeditated Execution

A federal court has delivered a definitive sentence in a case that shocked the Hernando County community, ordering two men to spend the remainder of their lives behind bars. Lenard White and Sheldon Robinson were sentenced on March 17, 2026, to consecutive life terms plus an additional 100 years for the contract killing of a local teenager. The victim, identified in court documents as I.S., was only 17 years old when she was targeted in her own home. The presiding judge emphasized the gravity of the crimes, which included premeditated first degree murder and murder for hire, by ensuring the sentences would run consecutively to reflect the calculated nature of the violence.

The Motive of Retaliation and Obstruction

The prosecution detailed a chilling timeline where the murder was used as a tool to obstruct justice. According to federal investigators, the teenager was shot and killed just twenty four hours after she had filed a report with authorities alleging that White had sexually assaulted her. Prosecutors argued that the primary motivation for the homicide was to eliminate the witness and prevent the sexual assault case from proceeding to trial. By organizing the hit immediately following the legal filing, the defendants demonstrated a blatant disregard for the judicial process, leading to additional convictions for obstruction of justice alongside the murder charges.

A Six Thousand Dollar Contract for Death

The mechanics of the murder for hire plot revealed a high degree of coordination between the two defendants. Evidence presented during the trial showed that White, while physically located out of state to create an alibi, paid Robinson $6,000 to carry out the execution. Robinson traveled to the victim's Hernando County residence to perform the shooting, which also resulted in an attempt on the life of the victim’s mother. While the mother survived the attack, the violence visited upon the household was described by prosecutors as a cold blooded transaction intended to solve White's legal problems through lethal means.