Current:Home > MarketsMan convicted of manslaughter in the killing of former New Orleans Saints star Will Smith-DB Wealth Institute B2 Expert Reviews
Man convicted of manslaughter in the killing of former New Orleans Saints star Will Smith
View Date:2024-12-23 20:08:27
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A man who shot former New Orleans Saints star Will Smith following a traffic crash nearly eight years ago has been convicted of manslaughter.
The jury deliberated for more than four hours and reached its verdict in the retrial of Cardell Hayes just after midnight Saturday, news outlets reported. He faces up to 40 years in prison.
The jury acquitted Hayes of attempted manslaughter in the shooting and wounding of Smith’s wife during the April 2016 confrontation.
Hayes, 36, had previously been convicted in December 2016 of manslaughter in Smith’s death and attempted manslaughter for the gunshot wounding of Racquel Smith. But the jury vote was 10-2 and the conviction was tossed after the U.S. Supreme Court outlawed nonunanimous verdicts. Hayes was released on bond after having served more than four years of a 25-year sentence.
His retrial was delayed for various reasons, including court closures during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Prosecutors rested their case against Hayes on Friday and the defense chose not to call witnesses after that.
The city’s top prosecutor insisted during his closing argument that Hayes fired needlessly.
“One gun was fired by one man,” District Attorney Jason Williams said, holding in the air the evidence-tagged handgun Hayes fired, hitting Smith eight times — seven in the back — and also hitting Smith’s wife in the legs.
Defense attorney John Fuller insisted prosecutors had not proven Hayes did not act in self-defense. Fuller pointed to a recording of a 911 call made soon after the shooting in which Hayes can be heard in the background claiming Smith had stated he intended to get a gun from his car.
Fuller sought to refute prosecutors’ claims that Racquel Smith had calmed her husband down by the time Hayes opened fire.
“You don’t say ‘Calm down it’s not worth it’ if you don’t have to say ‘Calm down it’s not worth it,’” he said, referring to prosecution testimony about Racquel’s efforts to defuse the argument.
Evidence showed Will Smith was intoxicated at the time of the confrontation. But there was no witness or forensic evidence to back up Hayes’ claim that Smith had wielded or fired a weapon.
Smith, a 34-year-old father of three, was a defensive leader on the Saints team that lifted spirits in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina devastated the city in 2005. He helped carry the team to a winning season in 2006 and a Super Bowl victory in 2010.
Hayes, who owned a tow truck business, once played semi-pro football. He has one son.
veryGood! (52)
Related
- Olivia Munn Randomly Drug Tests John Mulaney After Mini-Intervention
- When it Comes to Reducing New York City Emissions, CUNY Flunks the Test
- Lululemon’s Olympic Challenge to Reduce Its Emissions
- Kendall Jenner and Ex Devin Booker Attend Same Star-Studded Fourth of July Party
- Only 8 monkeys remain free after more than a week outside a South Carolina compound
- Travel Stress-Free This Summer With This Compact Luggage Scale Amazon Customers Can’t Live Without
- What the debt ceiling standoff could mean for your retirement plans
- After Unprecedented Heatwaves, Monsoon Rains and the Worst Floods in Over a Century Devastate South Asia
- Britney Spears reunites with son Jayden, 18, after kids moved in with dad Kevin Federline
- The man who busted the inflation-employment myth
Ranking
- Sofia Richie Reveals 5-Month-Old Daughter Eloise Has a Real Phone
- Pregnant Kourtney Kardashian Shows Off Her Baby Bump Progress in Hot Pink Bikini
- More shows and films are made in Mexico, where costs are low and unions are few
- American Airlines and JetBlue must end partnership in the northeast U.S., judge rules
- Bradley Cooper and Gigi Hadid Enjoy a Broadway Date Night and All that Jazz
- What the debt ceiling standoff could mean for your retirement plans
- Durable and enduring, blue jeans turn 150
- Inside Clean Energy: Here Come the Battery Recyclers
Recommendation
-
QTM Community Introduce
-
So would a U.S. default really be that bad? Yes — And here's why
-
What you need to know about the debt ceiling as the deadline looms
-
In Portsmouth, a Superfund Site Pollutes a Creek, Threatens a Neighborhood and Defies a Quick Fix
-
Women suing over Idaho’s abortion ban describe dangerous pregnancies, becoming ‘medical refugees’
-
Netflix has officially begun its plan to make users pay extra for password sharing
-
If you haven't logged into your Google account in over 2 years, it will be deleted
-
Insurance firms need more climate change information. Scientists say they can help