Man Who Killed Will Smith is Guilty of Manslaughter, Faces 20- 40 Years In Prison

Cardell Hayes was found guilty Sunday of manslaughter in the April shooting death of former New Orleans Saints star Will Smith.

After a near weeklong trial, a 12-person jury rejected Hayes’ claim of self-defense. The 29-year-old tow truck driver and former semi-pro football player faces 20-40 years in prison.

Hayes never denied shooting and killing Smith after a series of traffic accidents on April 9. His defense centered on him fearing for his safety after Smith and two members of his party swarmed Hayes and a friend.





Witnesses described a mostly verbal altercation and a lot of chaos, but Hayes alleged he was punched four or five times by Smith, heard Smith say he was returning to his car to get a gun and then later saw Smith holding a gun in his hand.

Racquel Smith, the widow of Will Smith, was injured in the road rage incident involving Cardell Hayes. (AP)More

Hayes said it was then that he opened fire with a Ruger SR45, hitting Smith once in the side and then seven times in the back. Also hit was Smith’s wife, Racquel, who had a bullet rip through both legs. She had been trying to separate the men and calm the situation.

Hayes, who will be sentenced in February, was also found guilty of attempted manslaughter for the shooting of Racquel Smith.

The jury rejected Hayes’ version of events, many of which weren’t corroborated by physical evidence or other witnesses.

Smith, 34 at the time of his death, was a beloved former Saints defensive lineman and team captain. He was on the New Orleans team credited with helping lift the region’s spirits after Hurricane Katrina, as well as a game-changer on the team that won the Super Bowl in 2010.

After retiring, Smith and his family remained in the region and focused on charity work and community service. The six-day trial saw a parade of current and former Saints come to Orleans Parish Criminal District Court to support the Smith family. That included coach Sean Payton and players such as Drew Brees and former Saints Deuce McAllister and Steve Gleason.

Payton was in attendance for Sunday night’s verdict, making the trip from Tampa after the Saints’ game against the Buccaneers.

The verdict comes as the city is dealing with a rash of senseless gun-related deaths. There was a shooting on Bourbon Street during Thanksgiving weekend over a dispute that left one dead and nine wounded. Monday, a memorial service will be held for Joe McKnight, a local football hero and former NFL running back who was also shot and killed after a traffic incident.

Prosecutors harped on this during closing arguments, with assistant district attorney Laura Rodrigue asking the jury to send a message that this kind of behavior isn’t acceptable in New Orleans.

Another Jaden Smith's Death Hoax Again As Rumor of Will Smith Movie Delay Follows

So, is Jaden Smith dead or isn’t he? As celebrity death rumors go, Jaden Smith has been targeted more in his young life than virtually any of Hollywood’s young elite, with the first rumors of his untimely death beginning to circulate when he was just 14-years-old.

This summer, though, things got really nasty for Jaden Smith when a pervasive rumor of his suicide went viral. It was everywhere, you couldn’t visit a social media site or celebrity news column without hearing word that Jaden Smith was dead. It wasn’t true, but it was all over the internet and a lot of people believed it.

A few weeks later, after Jaden was seen out and about for his 18th birthday and with his girlfriend, the notorious Sarah Snyder, the rumors died down. Fans and critics alike began to realize that Jaden Smith hadn’t bitten the proverbial dust, that he was very much alive and well, making movies, television shows, music, modeling and designing “man dresses” for his fashion label.

Everything seemed to be going great.

Jaden Smith out here turnt up now pic.twitter.com/JQ6LDDjCv9

— ️️ (@heartlle) September 9, 2016

Then the Jaden Smith suicide rumors ramped up again in mid-to-late August. That was when a Jaden Smith suicide video began circulating. In it, Jaden announced that he was going to commit suicide and said his goodbyes. You’d think that the second Jaden Smith death rumor would have gotten less traction, following so soon on the heels of the first, previously debunked, rumor of Jaden Smith’s death.

Honestly, Facebook is one of the dumbest social media sites ever. Since when did Jaden Smith commit suicide?pic.twitter.com/pnU5BDZ2UP

— ㅤ (@amirawashere) August 9, 2016

However, the second time around, the rumors of Jaden Smith’s death-by-suicide seemed a little more believable. They came on the heels of a tweeted-then-deleted photograph of Jaden’s girl allegedly in bed with another man. Fans and haters alike believed that a heartbroken Jaden Smith responded to the news of his cheating lady love by taking his own life.

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Jaden Smith: How Can We Be Real People If Actors Aren't Real People

— Kinda Skinny Jalbert (@Fat_Jalbert) September 9, 2016

boys are just…they…..im so??? i dont like them.
except jaden smith

— lacie (@FAIEREY) September 8, 2016

Jaden Smith will forver be 16 to me

— DONNIE DARKO (@ni6rina)September 5, 2016

I Wish I Was With Shia LaBeouf

— Jaden Smith (@officialjaden)September 9, 2016

As people began to realize that they’d been duped by the news of Jaden Smith’s death yet again, they began to question where these prolific death rumors and highly-successful internet death hoaxes were coming from. The news that Jaden Smith had taken his own life certainly got his name out there, even though it wasn’t true.

And coincidentally, the suicide rumors were almost perfectly timed to have people saying the Jaden Smith name at the precise moment his new Netflix drama The Get Down premiered, not to mention Will Smith’s new flick Suicide Squad. Speculation swirled that, perhaps, Jaden Smith or some of his people, were the brains behind the death hoaxes

Jaden and Will Smith attend the Suicide Squad premiere at Beacon Theatre on August 1, 2016 in New York City.pic.twitter.com/pqnYpEjdPS

— Jaden Smith Updates (@UpdateJaden) August 5, 2016

Now, the Jaden Smith death rumors are everywhere again, after showing up on Facebook once more last weekend. And whoever is behind them has really amped up their game. This time, the rumors that Jaden Smith had taken his own life reportedly resulted in his sister, Willow, and the rest of the Smith family getting condolences for their loss.

As this weekend rolls around, with the newest Jaden Smith suicide rumors once again in full swing, it’s being reported that Jaden Smith’s (not real) death has resulted in the delay of dad Will Smith’s long-awaited flick,Collateral Beauty.

As FX News Call reports, following the inaccurate news that Jaden Smith had died (yet again), people began questioning whether or not the release of the Will Smith tear-jerker would be delayed so that the elder Mr. Smith could mourn the (third) death of his popular son.

Of course, because Jaden Smith is not dead, just like he wasn’t dead following any of the previous rumors of his suicide, it’s unlikely that Will Smith’s new flick will miss its release date. At least because of the death of Jaden Smith.

However, the timing of this most recent Jaden Smith death rumor, and the fact that it got the name of Will Smith’s latest movie all wrapped up in its enigma, does lend a bit of credence to the theory that the Jaden Smith death hoaxes are being perpetuated by someone on the Smith team.

Will Smith “Paid Large Sum Of Money” to Rumored Gay Lover -- Report

Will Smith hasn’t only battled cheating rumors for years, he’s also fought persistent speculation he’s gay.

Now a bankruptcy investigation into his rumored male lover, actor Duane Martin, might point to some hush money.

A trustee in the proceedings claims Will and his wife Jada Pinkett-Smith “paid big bucks to help the Martins protect their assets,” RadarOnline.com writes.

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In 2014, Duane and his wife Tisha Campbell supposedly organized a $2 million short-sale of their family’s California home.

It seems “100% of the short sale price” was funded by a third party named “Treyball.”

The under-wraps lender has reportedly been identified as Will and Jada’s own financial advisor, Todd Gelfand.

While it’s possible the more famous duo was helping their pals through a difficult time, Duane’s alleged behavior points to something much more scandalous.

When the bankruptcy trustee demanded access to the Real Husbands of Hollywood star’s laptop the 51-year-old and his spouse, 47, refused.

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For weeks, the couple “raised every excuse in the book” not to hand over the device until the trustee “signed an air-tight NDA,” insiders say.

Duane and Tisha gave a highly suspicious reason for their actions, saying, “The laptop also contains … personal photos… which are confidential [and] privileged.”

The pics were described as “confidential communications with other public figures regarding private, non-financial matters.”

If that’s not enough, the couple revealed they were afraid of “disclosing private information not pertinent to the instant case [that is] highly sought after by tabloid publications.”

Could Will and his $2 million be that tabloid-friendly public figure?

After so many eyebrow-raising turns in this investigation, the Suicide Squad star’s out-of-character honesty about his marriage woes may have just been a distraction.