A judge sentenced the man who shot and killed former NFL player Will Smith this week. A New Orleans jury found 36-year-old Cardell Hayes guilty of manslaughter and sentenced him to 25 years in prison.
USA TODAY wrote on the sentencing, which came following a retrial of Hayes, accused of shooting and killing the former Saints defensive end.
“A previous jury voted 10-2 to convict Hayes, but the decision was overturned after the U.S. Supreme Court outlawed nonunanimous verdicts,” the publication wrote. They then said he was apprehended and put in custody again on January 27 after unanimously being convicted.
“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,” USA TODAY wrote of the deadly incident.
Smith was intoxicated at the time of the crash. Hayes maintained self-defense, but that wasn’t enough for him to elude a lengthy prison sentence.
Smith was an All-American at Ohio State before entering the NFL in 2004. Smith was a member of the 2002 Buckeyes team that won the BCS National Championship. He spent nine seasons with the New Orleans Saints and won the Super Bowl during the 2009 season. He was named to the Saints’ Ring of Honor and their Hall of Fame after his career ended.