Suspect in fatal shooting of ex-Saints player Will Smith sentenced to 25 years in prison
The man who shot and killed former New Orleans Saints defensive lineman Will Smith following a traffic altercation in 2016 has been sentenced to 25 years in prison.
The sentence was handed down Thursday in New Orleans after a jury in January found Cardell Hayes, 36, guilty of manslaughter in a retrial of the case from more than seven years ago.
A previous jury voted 10-2 to convict Hayes, but the decision was overturned when the U.S. Supreme Court outlawed nonunanimous verdicts. He was released on bond after serving more than four years of his original 25-year sentence.
Hayes was taken back into custody on January 27 following his unanimous conviction and held in jail while awaiting sentencing.
Smith was shot eight times, seven times in the back, after an altercation following an accident in which Hayes' SUV hit the rear of Smith's vehicle. A bullet also hit Smith's wife, Racquel, in the leg, but Hayes was acquitted of a related charge of attempted manslaughter in his second trial.
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Evidence showed Smith was intoxicated at the time of the incident, and Hayes maintained that he acted in self-defense.
Smith played nine seasons with the Saints from 2004-2012. He made the Pro Bowl in 2006 and was a member of the Saints' Super Bowl championship team in 2009.