The man who shot and killed former New Orleans Saints defensive end Will Smith after an April 9 traffic accident has been found guilty of manslaughter.
NOLA.com reports that a New Orleans jury reached the verdict Sunday night against Cardell Hayes. The 29-year-old tow truck driver faces 20-40 years in prison on the charge. He was also found guilty of attempted manslaughter, in the shooting of Smith's wife, Racquel, who survived.
The defense had sought convictions for second-degree murder and attempted second-degree murder. But after deliberating for more than five hours Sunday night until after 10 p.m., the jury reached a 10-2 verdict on manslaughter in both cases. Louisiana requires at least 10 of 12 jurors to agree to reach a conviction.
Hayes will be sentenced in February.
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Smith, a former first-team All-American at Ohio State, was drafted 18th overall by the Saints in the 2004 NFL Draft. He played 10 seasons with the Saints, making one Pro Bowl and playing a key role on the Saints Super Bowl championship season in 2009.
The defense rested its case Saturday afternoon, and closing arguments began Sunday morning and finished late in the afternoon. The prosecution and defense teams were at times yelling at each other Sunday in the courtroom during their closing arguments.
"You know what this case is about? Stupidity," prosecutor Laura Rodrigue said, via Nola.com. "I shot a man eight times because he pissed me off. That's what he did."
Hayes had testified Saturday for the first time, and said in a New Orleans courtroom that after he ran into Smith's SUV, the former Saints defensive lineman cursed him, then said he was going to get a gun out of his SUV. Hayes claimed he heard a pop, and thought a shot had been fired, before he fired himself, with eight shots striking Smith.
"I knew for a fact that I was going to get shot,'" Hayes testified, via The Associated Press.
However, the AP reports that Assistant Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Napoli later noted upon cross examination of Hayes that no other witness reported seeing Smith with a gun and that Hayes had never told investigators he saw Smith with a gun.