NEW ORLEANS -- A lawyer for the man who fatally shot former NFL star Will Smith in 2016 said Tuesday that he'll seek the man's release on bond now that a Louisiana appeals court has officially vacated his manslaughter conviction by a non-unanimous jury.
Cardell Hayes has long insisted he fired in self-defense when he shot Smith during a confrontation following a traffic crash. At trial, the jury in 2016 voted 10-2 to convict Hayes of manslaughter in Smith's death and attempted manslaughter in the wounding of Smith's wife.
However, the U.S. Supreme Court later declared such non-unanimous verdicts unconstitutional.