A sentence change ensures the man who killed former Saints star Smith gets credit for home incarceration

NEW ORLEANS — The 25-year prison sentence for Cardell Hayes, the man who killed former New Orleans Saints star Will Smith in 2016, was reduced to 22 years and two months by a Louisiana judge on Tuesday, giving credit for time Hayes spent confined to his home before his recent trial.

Hayes, 36, was sentenced to 25 years in prison for manslaughter earlier this year for shooting Smith during an altercation following a traffic accident. In handing down the sentence, Judge Camille Buras said she would give Hayes credit for his time spent in home confinement. Prosecutors objected, saying state law does not allow such credit.

New Orleans news outlets reported that Buras re-sentenced Hayes on Tuesday, reducing his original 25-year prison sentence by 34 months.

Hayes was initially convicted of Smith’s death in December 2016 and later sentenced to 25 years in prison. However, the jury voted 10-2 and the verdict was later overturned after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that such non-unanimous verdicts were illegal. He was again convicted of manslaughter in a trial in January.

Hayes has long claimed he fired in self-defense. At his first trial, he testified that he heard a “pop” before he started shooting.

Evidence showed that Smith was intoxicated at the time of the altercation. However, there was no witness testimony or forensic evidence to support Hayes’ claim that Smith was carrying or firing a weapon.