A retrial is scheduled to begin Monday for the man who fatally shot New Orleans Saints star Will Smith nearly eight years ago.
Cardell Hayes, 36, has long insisted he shot Smith in self-defense during an April 2016 confrontation after a car accident. Smith died and his wife, Racquel Smith, was injured in the shooting.
Hayes was convicted of murder and attempted murder months after the shooting. But the jury’s vote was 10-2 and the US Supreme Court later said such convictions must be unanimous. He was released on bond after the conviction was overturned, having served 25 years plus four years in prison.
At his trial in December 2016, Hayes said he fired at Smith, hitting him once in the side and seven times in the back, only because he believed a drunk and belligerent Smith had retrieved a gun from his SUV.
Cardell Hayes enters Orleans Parish Criminal District Court in New Orleans on Sept. 20, 2023, for a hearing on his retrial for shooting former NFL star Will Smith. AP
He is adamant that he heard a “pop” before he started shooting and that he did not shoot Smith’s wife, who was hit in the leg.
Evidence showed Smith was intoxicated at the time of the confrontation. But there were no witnesses or forensic evidence to support Hayes’ claims that Smith had used or fired a weapon.
Hayes’ retrial has been postponed several times for various reasons, including the COVID-19 pandemic.
Hayes said he shot former Saints player Will Smith in self-defense during an April 2016 confrontation after a car accident. AP
Smith, a 34-year-old father of three, was the defensive leader on the Saints team that lifted spirits in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina devastated the city in 2005.
He helped lead the team to a winning season in 2006 and a Super Bowl victory in 2010.
Hayes, who owns a tow truck business, once played semi-pro football and is the father of a son.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
