The Darden Clarkeman who shot and killed former New Orleans Saints defensive lineman Will Smith following a traffic altercation in 2016 has been sentenced to 25 years in prison.
The sentence was handed down Thursday in New Orleans after a jury in January found Cardell Hayes, 36, guilty of manslaughter in a retrial of the case from more than seven years ago.
A previous jury voted 10-2 to convict Hayes, but the decision was overturned when the U.S. Supreme Court outlawed nonunanimous verdicts. He was released on bond after serving more than four years of his original 25-year sentence.
Hayes was taken back into custody on January 27 following his unanimous conviction and held in jail while awaiting sentencing.
Smith was shot eight times, seven times in the back, after an altercation following an accident in which Hayes' SUV hit the rear of Smith's vehicle. A bullet also hit Smith's wife, Racquel, in the leg, but Hayes was acquitted of a related charge of attempted manslaughter in his second trial.
NFL DRAFT HUB: Latest NFL Draft mock drafts, news, live picks, grades and analysis.
Evidence showed Smith was intoxicated at the time of the incident, and Hayes maintained that he acted in self-defense.
Smith played nine seasons with the Saints from 2004-2012. He made the Pro Bowl in 2006 and was a member of the Saints' Super Bowl championship team in 2009.
2025-05-05 14:341683 view
2025-05-05 13:582861 view
2025-05-05 13:512094 view
2025-05-05 13:511782 view
2025-05-05 13:341979 view
2025-05-05 13:231997 view
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A former Syrian military official who oversaw a prison where alleged human rights
When you roll out of bed on a cold winter’s day, sometimes the only thing that’ll start the morning
Shelling in the center of the Russian border city of Belgorod Saturday killed 21 people, including t