Manslaughter conviction in death of ex-NFL star Will Smith

NEW ORLEANS -- The man who fatally shot retired New Orleans Saints defensive leader Will Smith was convicted of manslaughter on Sunday night, ending a week-long trial in which the defendant insisted he only fired because the popular football star was drunk, violent and had grabbed a gun following a traffic crash on the night of April 9. Skirting a life sentence on the murder count, Hayes still faces 20-to-40 years in prison on the manslaughter count, which includes a sentencing enhancement for the use of a firearm. The jury of eight women and four men, deliberating for just short of six hours at the end of a blockbuster week-long trial, also found Hayes, 29, guilty of attempted manslaughter for a shot that tore through the legs of Smith’s wife, Racquel, in a fracas on the street following a three-car collision. He dismissed defense claims that Smith was the aggressor and that Hayes is not guilty under Louisiana's "stand your ground" law. “I know for a fact I was going to get shot.”

But, during the week-long trial, Hayes was the only witness to say Smith handled a gun that night. Prosecutors acknowledged that a loaded gun was found in Smith's car but said there was no evidence that it was ever fired or that Smith had grabbed it.
Cardell Hayes is found guilty of manslaughter by a Louisiana jury in the road rage shooting death of former New Orleans Saints star Will Smith.