Two Brooksville men will spend the rest of their lives in federal prison after a judge yesterday handed each of them two consecutive life sentences plus 100 years for the 2023 killing of a 17-year-old student who had reported being sexually assaulted. U.S. District Judge William Jung imposed the punishment after a federal jury convicted Lenard White and Sheldon Robinson in October. The teen's mother was seriously wounded in the attack but survived.
Federal Court Hands Down Sentence
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Middle District of Florida, 38-year-old White and 22-year-old Robinson were each ordered to serve two consecutive life terms plus 100 years. A federal jury found the men guilty on Oct. 29, 2025, on charges that included conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, murder-for-hire and premeditated first-degree murder.
How Authorities Say It Unfolded
Authorities say the teen and her mother went to the Hernando County Sheriff's Office on Feb. 6, 2023, to report the sexual assault, according to FOX 13 News. The next day, investigators say, Robinson showed up at their home and opened fire. The teen was hit as she tried to run, and her mother was struck multiple times.
Evidence And Investigation
Prosecutors say White arranged the killing and paid Robinson about $6,000 to carry it out, and investigators executed more than 70 state and federal search warrants during the investigation, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. ATF agents and Hernando County detectives later recovered the gun used in the killing, buried behind Robinson's home. Prosecutors say White and Robinson tried to obstruct the case by disposing of evidence and tampering with witnesses. A third defendant, Keshawn Woods, had already pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 17 years in federal prison on Jan. 13, 2026.
Community Reaction
Local outlets described a devastating scene. WTSP reported that the victim's mother "collapsed on the ground and watched her daughter die." The case has become a grim example of how federal and local agencies coordinate on complex murder-for-hire investigations.
Hoodline previously covered the jury's guilty verdict in November; see Jury Convicts Killers for our earlier report. This piece updates that coverage with the sentences handed down in federal court.
