Man found guilty of killing ex-Saints DE Will Smith following retrial into 2016 shooting… Cardell Hayes could face up to 40 years in prison after manslaughter verdict

The man who fatally shot former New Orleans Saints star Will Smith was found guilty of manslaughter on Saturday – nearly eight years after the incident.

Cardell Hayes faces up to 40 years in prison after pleading guilty in a retrial of a case dating back to April 2016, when Smith was shot following a traffic accident.

Hayes was acquitted of attempted manslaughter for the shooting of Smith’s wife, Racquel, who was injured in the same incident.

Defense lawyers had insisted on this Hayes rightly feared for his life when he shot Smith, but the city’s top prosecutor argued that Hayes fired unnecessarily.

“One gun was fired by one man,” District Attorney Jason Williams said as he held aloft the evidence-marked gun that Hayes fired, hitting Smith eight times — seven in the back — and also hitting Smith’s wife was hit in the legs.

Cardell Hayes faces up to 40 years in prison after being found guilty of manslaughter

Hayes was convicted in December 2016 of manslaughter in Smith’s death and attempted manslaughter for the gunshot wound to Racquel Smith.

But the jury voted 10-2, and the conviction was thrown out after the Supreme Court banned non-unanimous verdicts. Hayes was released on bail after serving more than four years of a 25-year prison sentence.

His retrial was postponed for several reasons, including the closure of courts during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Prosecutors dropped their case against Hayes on Friday, and the defense opted not to call any witnesses afterward, paving the way for closing arguments and jury deliberations.

Smith was a leader on the Saints team that lifted spirits in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina

Assistant District Attorney Matt Derbes readily admitted during closing arguments that Smith was drunk at the time Hayes hit the back of his car before the shooting, and a loud argument ensued.

Hayes, 36, insisted at his 2016 trial that he shot Smith in self-defense during the April 2016 confrontation. Hayes said he only shot Smith because he believed a drunk and combative Smith had retrieved a gun from his SUV.

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 the team to a winning season in 2006 and a 2010 Super Bowl victory.

Hayes, who owned a tow truck company, once played semi-pro football. He has one son.