Conviction upheld by appeals court in shooting death of Will Smith

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The manslaughter conviction of Cardell Hayes in the shooting death of former New Orleans Saints star Will Smith was upheld by a Louisiana appeals court on Wednesday.

According to Emily Lane of the New Orleans Times-Picayune, the three judge panel from the 4th District Court of Appeals in the state unanimously upheld the conviction.

Hayes was sentenced to a 25-year term in prison for the death of Smith and shooting of his wife, Racquel, in April 2016. Hayes claimed the shootings were in self-defense after a confrontation between the two following a traffic collision.

The appeal, heard in November, was premised upon the prosecution having not proven that Hayes wasn’t acting in self-defense and that a new witness had come forward to say that Smith had fired a gun first at Hayes. That witness had been deemed not credible after a hearing last year.

Hayes’ attorney, Paul Barker, said he intends to continue the appeal process by seeking an en banc review of the case that would be heard by all 12 judges that make up the 4th District Court of Appeals.