Former NFL player Will Smith’s shooter convicted: Cardell Hayes faces up to 40 years in prison

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LOS ANGELES, Jan 30, (Agencies): A man has been convicted in the shooting death of former NFL defensive end Will Smith following an altercation after a car crash in New Orleans in April 2016.

On Saturday, a jury found Cardell Hayes guilty of manslaughter on Saturday morning. 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.

Hayes, 36, was previously convicted of the crime in December 2016, but his conviction was overturned when the US Supreme Court outlawed nonunanimous verdicts, according to the Associated Press.

In the first trial, Hayes was also convicted of attempted manslaughter for the gunshot injuries sustained by Smith’s wife. Hayes had served more than four years of a 25-year sentence when his first conviction was overturned and was released on bond.

According to a 2016 news release by the New Orleans Police Department, the altercation between Hayes and the New Orleans Saints player, 34, occurred after Smith rear-ended Hayes’ car with his Hummer near the intersection of Sophie Wright Place and Felicity Street.

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