In the warm New Orleans night of April 9, 2016, a traffic incident escalated into a fatal encounter that claimed the life of 34-year-old former New Orleans Saints defensive end, Will Smith. The chain of events began when Smith's Mercedes SUV was involved in a collision with a Hummer driven by Cardell Hayes in the Lower Garden District.
Following the initial minor collision, a heated verbal exchange took place between the two men.
The confrontation quickly turned violent when Hayes produced a handgun and shot Smith multiple times. Smith was pronounced dead at the scene, having sustained eight gunshot wounds, with seven of them to his back. Smith's wife, Racquel, was also shot in the legs during the incident but survived her injuries.
Cardell Hayes, who was 28 at the time, remained at the scene and was arrested. He was later charged with second-degree murder. During the legal proceedings, Hayes maintained that he acted in self-defense, claiming that a drunk and belligerent Smith was the aggressor and that he believed Smith was retrieving a gun from his vehicle. An autopsy revealed that Smith had a high blood-alcohol level, and a loaded handgun was found in his car, though there was no evidence it was fired.
In December 2016, a jury found Hayes guilty of manslaughter in Smith's death and attempted manslaughter for the wounding of Racquel Smith. He was sentenced to 25 years in prison. However, this conviction was later overturned after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that non-unanimous jury verdicts were unconstitutional.
A new trial was held, and in January 2024, a unanimous jury once again convicted Hayes of manslaughter for killing Will Smith, though he was acquitted of the attempted manslaughter of Racquel Smith. He was subsequently re-sentenced to 25 years in prison. This sentence was later adjusted to account for time he had already served, including time under house arrest.
