MANSFIELD — A Mansfield man convicted of a brutal 2025 attack was sentenced Tuesday to 40 years in prison in Richland County Common Pleas Court. Lenael Troy Smith, 45, was found guilty by a jury on ten of eleven counts, including rape, kidnapping, felonious assault, three counts of strangulation, and three counts of having weapons while under disability. He was found not guilty of attempted murder. If he misbehaves while incarcerated, he could face an additional five and a half years behind bars. The attack took place over a five-hour span in July 2025 at Smith’s home in the 300 block of Superior Street. Smith had invited the victim to visit, and what followed was a prolonged assault that a forensic nurse at OhioHealth Mansfield Hospital later described as the worst injuries she had ever seen.
The victim, a mother of five daughters under the age of ten, delivered a powerful impact statement at sentencing. She told the court her children called her “Monster Mommy” when they saw her after the beating because her injuries were so severe. “They were scared to give me a hug,” she said, visibly shaking as she read her prepared statement. “Seeing the fear in my babies’ eyes was horrible.” She added that she could finally begin healing. Smith blamed his defense attorney, the judge, and media coverage for his conviction, calling the case a “manifest of constitutional error.” Judge Brent Robinson imposed the sentence after a four-day trial in September.
Prosecutors said the verdict and sentence deliver justice for a survivor who endured an unthinkable ordeal. Smith remains in custody and will begin serving his term immediately.