Cardell Hayes faces 40 years in prison as he's found guilty of manslaughter in fatal shooting of ex-Saints DE Will Smith
NEW ORLEANS: A man has been found guilty in the shooting death of former NFL defensive end Will Smith, which occurred in April 2016, after an incident that followed a New Orleans car crash.
Several outlets reported that a jury found Cardell Hayes guilty of manslaughter.
Cardell Hayes was previously found guilty in 2016
Hayes, who faces up to 40 years in prison, was acquitted on attempted manslaughter charges related to the shooting injuries of Smith's wife, Racquel Smith, according to ABC News.
In accordance to the Associated Press, Hayes, 36, was previously found guilty of the crime in December 2016, but his conviction was overturned when the US Supreme Court banned nonunanimous verdicts.
Hayes was found guilty of attempted manslaughter in the first trial for Smith's wife's gunshot wounds. After his first conviction was reversed, Hayes was released on bond after serving more than four years of a 25-year sentence.
According to a 2016 news release from the New Orleans Police Department, the confrontation between Hayes and the 34-year-old New Orleans Saints player started when Smith rear-ended Hayes' vehicle with his Hummer close to the intersection of Sophie Wright Place and Felicity Street, People reports.
Following the collision, the two men allegedly "exchanged words," and Hayes, then 28 years old, "produced a handgun and shot Smith multiple times." Racquel was shot in the right leg, according to the police.
Why did Cardell Hayes shoot Will Smith?
According to Hayes' defense, he shot Smith because he feared for his life and was defending himself.
Will Smith was drunk at the time of the altercation, according to the evidence. However, Hayes' assertion that Smith had fired or handled a weapon was not supported by any forensic evidence or eyewitness accounts, as reported by AP.
In his closing remarks, District Attorney Jason Williams stated, "One gun was fired by one man," according to the outlet.
According to ESPN, Racquel and her family issued a statement after the retrial. "Each time we stepped into this courthouse, we were forced to relive the worst moments of our lives," it read.
"As hard as it was to sit and listen to autopsy reports and untruths about the night Will was killed, and I was shot, we came each day brave and strong because we were fighting for Will. I can look my children in the eyes and tell them that I gave everything in pursuit of justice on behalf of Will," added Racquel.
A father of three Playing for the Saints from 2004 to 2013, Smith brought happiness to the city following Hurricane Katrina's devastation in 2005 by helping his old team win in 2006.
In 2010, he was a member of the team that won the Super Bowl for the Saints.
