Nearly eight months ago, former New Orleans Saints defensive end Will Smith and New Orleans semipro football player Cardell Hayes saw a minor traffic incident turn into a fatal shooting. Smith would lose his life and Hayes would be charged with murder. On Monday, the trial of Hayes begins in a New Orleans court. Here are the key elements to the case:
A disputed set of facts emerges from a Saturday evening in New Orleans
It was about 11:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 9, when Hayes, then 28, was driving on New Orleans’ Magazine Street in his Hummer H2.