By Corryn Brock
Published: Jun. 28, 2024 at 2:42 PM EDT
FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WPTA) - Mario Davaughn Smith Jr. never went to his senior prom, he never walked across the stage to receive his diploma and his family will never get to see where his life will take him.
Smith, who died at 17 last October, was shot and killed by 15-year-old Ayden Lee, a Fort Wayne who boy was sentenced to 55 years in prison Friday for fatally shooting Smith.
BACKGROUND: Teen charged as adult in fatal October shooting of 17-year-old
Lee was tried as an adult for the murder of Smith Jr. of Fort Wayne during a trial last month. The jury found him guilty, not finding that the shooting was done in self-defense as Lee claimed.
The defendant was 14 years old at the time of the Oct. 29 shooting. Smith was taken to an area hospital in life-threatening condition after the shooting but later died from his injuries.
During Lee’s sentencing hearing, several of Smith’s family members spoke to the Allen Superior Court Magistrate Samuel Keirns. Brenda Smith-Hutchinson, Smith’s grandmother, called her grandson’s death “senseless,” explaining that because of Lee’s actions she went from having 20 grandchildren to 19.
Smith’s aunts, LaTania Menizes and Louise Smith, said their family will always have a hole where their nephew, nicknamed Mookie Man, once was. Menzies described Mario Smith’s death as “a missing piece of our puzzle,” and said moving forward is difficult for her because she feels guilty accepting the “new normal.”
Menzies added that she feels uncomfortable with Lee’s “stoic” and “co*cky” behavior in court.
“I don’t know how you can be unbothered after that,” she told Keirns.
“I can’t feel sorry for someone who didn’t feel sorry for mine,” Louise Smith said.
Javonna Smith, the victim’s sister, described her brother as a “protector” and “safe haven” for the family. Anger, pain and confusion are just a few of the emotions Javonna Smith said she’s felt since her brother’s death.
“How am I supposed to keep going,” she asked Keirns after describing how the loss has impacted her.
MORE: 15-year-old Fort Wayne boy found guilty in 2023 murder
Javonna Smith looked ahead to the college graduations, weddings, holidays and other family events her brother will not be in attendance for and started crying.
“It’s not fair,” she said.
Katie Fell, Mario Smith’s cousin, and Clay Washington, his uncle, said they wanted Lee to receive a sentence that matched the crime. All they have now, Fell said, are their memories.
“This new reality we have to face without Mookie is torture,” Fell said.
She said Lee should spend the rest of his life in prison.
“I will never forgive and I will never forget,” Fell told Keirns.
Washington disputed Lee’s claim that he was protecting himself during the shooting.
“It was not self-defense,” Washington said.
Mario Smith’s family also expressed sympathy for Lee’s family during the hearing.
Lee’s mother, Aleachia Benzinger, shared the same sentiment for Mario’s family.
Benzinger, who described her son as a good child from a loving home, said she is “deeply broken for all parties involved in this situation.”
“All lives are precious in the eyes of the Lord,” Benzinger said.
She asked for leniency for her son, saying she has been “blessed to love and guide” Lee for the last 20 years. Benzinger described her son as funny and strong-willed.
“There are no takebacks, we cannot rewind time,” she said about the shooting.
Robert Scremin, Lee’s attorney, asked for a 45-year prison sentence for his client. He said his client’s young age “certainly impacted the decision he made.”
Allen County Deputy Prosecutor Tasha Lee, who tried the case alongside Kamia Gatakala, said after looking at photos on Ayden Lee’s phone, they found he had an “arsenal at his disposal.” She said it was “not a matter of if he was going to kill someone, it was a matter of when.”
Tasha Lee, who mentioned the defendant had a criminal history of possessing guns, said prior attempts to set him on the right path had failed. She asked that Ayden Lee be sentenced to 60 years in prison.
“Every single moment he is behind bars is a moment society is safer,” Tasha Lee said.
Just before the judge made his decision, Ayden Lee addressed the courtroom. He apologized to both his family and Mario Smith’s family and said he is “a good person who got caught in a bad situation.”
“I ask the court to give me another chance,” Ayden Lee said.
Keirns spoke to Ayden Lee before ordering the teen to his 55-year sentence, saying that throughout the trial and sentencing hearing the reason for the shooting was never given.
“Why,” Kerins asked. “Why are we even here?”
The judge said it was clear attempts to rehabilitate the defendant after his previous criminal activities were unsuccessful. It was also concerning, the judge said, how “unphased” Ayden Lee seemed throughout the process.
Keirns said that even if the defendant’s self-defense claims were true, a “righteous killing” should have bothered him.
Because of the lack of remorse and previous attempts at rehabilitating Ayden Lee, Keirns said he would not give him probation or a suspended sentence.
The defendant told the judge he plans to appeal.
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