Retrial delayed for man whose conviction in the death of former NFL player Will Smith was overturned

The retrial of Cardell Hayes, whose conviction in the death of former NFL player Will Smith was overturned, was delayed Monday without explanation. New Orleans judge Camille Buras continued the case after meeting with prosecutors and defense attorneys in chambers, setting a pre-trial hearing for Wednesday but not announcing a new trial date. Hayes, 36, maintains he shot Smith in self-defense during an April 2016 confrontation. At his December 2016 trial, he testified he fired after hearing a “pop,” hitting Smith once in the side and seven times in the back, and he said he didn’t shoot at Smith’s wife, who was wounded in the legs. Prosecutors had sought a second-degree murder conviction carrying mandatory life.