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Man who killed Saints' Will Smith sentenced to 25 years in prison

By Jason Owens, Yahoo Sports

Tampa Bay Buccaneers v New Orleans Saints NEW ORLEANS - OCTOBER 10: Defensive end Will Smith #91 of the New Orleans Saints sits on the sideline on the field during the game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday October 10, 2004 at the Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Buccaneers defeated the Saints 20-17. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images) (Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

By Jason Owens, Yahoo Sports

Cardell Hayes — the man who fatally shot retired New Orleans Saints defensive end Will Smith in 2016 — has been sentenced to 25 years in prison for manslaughter.

A jury convicted Hayes of manslaughter in January. Judge Camille Buras handed down the sentence on Thursday in a New Orleans courtroom, the Associated Press reports.

The January conviction was the second for Hayes in Smith's shooting death. He was initially convicted in 2016 and sentenced to 25 years. The jury in that case ruled 10-2 to convict Hayes, a tally that was enough to convict in Louisiana, which at the time didn't require a unanimous jury verdict to find a defendant guilty in a criminal case.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2020 that the Constitution requires a unanimous verdict to convict a defendant of serious crime, and Hayes' verdict was vacated on appeal in 2021. A new trial was ordered, and Hayes was convicted again by a unanimous jury in January, more than seven years after he was initially convicted. Hayes, 36, had faced up to 40 years in prison.

This story will be updated.

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