Late Sunday night, a 12-person jury in New Orleans, LA found Cardell Hayes guilty of two counts of manslaughter in connection to the shooting death of former New Orleans Saints defensive end Will Smith.
Cardell Hayes Found Guilty of Manslaughter in Will Smith Shooting
According to Danny Monteverde of WWL-TV, Hayes will be sentenced on Feb. 17 for the two counts he was found guilty on. He faces up to 40 years in prison.
Both guilty verdicts, of manslaughter for Smith’s murder and attempted manslaughter for shooting Smith’s widow Racquel, were 10-2 votes by the jury. The jury found him unanimously not guilty on a third charge, which was criminal damage to property.
No word has been released yet if the defense plans to move for a new trial or appeal the decision, but the attorney for Hayes, John Fuller, said “I respect the jury’s verdict, and I respect the pain both families are feeling tonight.”
Two of Smith’s former teammates with the Saints, Deuce McAllister and Pierre Thomas, were present along with Saints head coach Sean Payton when the verdict was read. No comment from the Saints has yet been released, but McAllister said that, “it’s not a win for anybody. It was a tough situation. There was no way either side could win.”
A similar case, involving the shooting murder of former NFL player Joe McKnight, will begin soon in the New Orleans area as well. It will be interesting to see how this case might have an effect on the McKnight case. For now, Smith’s family can feel that they have some closure in his death.
