<p>NEW ORLEANS — A bond hearing was scheduled Thursday for the man who fatally shot ex-NFL star Will Smith in New Orleans in 2016 following a confrontation over a traffic crash.</p>
<p>Cardell Hayes was sentenced to 25 years in prison for a manslaughter conviction in Smith’s shooting and attempted manslaughter for wounding Smith’s wife. But the verdict from the jury was not unanimous — jurors voted 10-2 — and has since been ruled unconstitutional. </p>
<p>Hayes insisted at trial that he shot Smith in self-defense during a confrontation over a traffic crash. But he was the only trial witness to say Smith held a gun or fired it. A handgun was found loaded but unused in Smith’s car. </p>
<p>Hayes hasn’t been free since his arrest. He could get a much lower bond than the $1.75 million set for him in 2016, when charges against him included second-degree murder and attempted second-degree murder. First Assistant District Attorney Robert White said at a hearing March 4 that prosecutors would seek bond based on the manslaughter and attempted manslaughter charges that the jury returned.</p>
<p>At that hearing, Judge Camille Buras delayed an immediate bond ruling, noting questions on whether Hayes could legally be tried on a second-degree murder charge after the first jury came back with a lesser verdict. </p>
