Smith was shot eight times late Saturday after an angry confrontation with the driver of a Hummer that crashed into the rear of the Mercedes SUV that Smith was driving. Smith's wife was shot in both legs during the ensuing melee.
"He's a nice guy. He's not hot-tempered. He's mild-mannered. That's who he is. That's who he's been since we were growing up," said Sha'Teek Nobles, pastor of My Redeemer Missionary Baptist Church,Cheap Yeezy China, who has known Hayes since grade school.
Foret believes Thomson,Kanken Big Backpack Uk, the Smiths' lawyer, may have played into defense hands by holding a news conference in which he gave a detailed account of what he believed happened the night of the shooting — essentially telegraphing possible elements of the prosecution case.
"You're looking at getting a jury, anywhere in the state of Louisiana, for a Saint," she said. "I think there are no greater heroes in this town than the team, the Saints. People are huge fans here in ways that I don't see in other cities."
Ciolino took note of amateur video from the shooting scene that shows one unidentified witness saying he heard two men arguing — each saying he had a gun.
"There was not just one accident, but two, it sounds like," she said in a Thursday interview.
"The defense certainly has facts to work with," said Ciolino. "There was a gun in Will Smith's car. There was talk of using the gun. That makes the self-defense claim colorable. Whether it's persuasive, that remains to be seen at trial."
It's an image that doesn't jibe with that of Hayes' friends.
Hayes, little known before the shooting, was characterized by the Smith family's lawyer this week as an enraged gunman. Peter Thomson said Hayes shot Smith's wife Racquel in each leg, then pumped Smith full of bullets, standing over the body and yelling as Racquel cowered.
Lee Green, who coached Hayes at Warren Easton High School, remembered him as cheerful and quiet. "I would say more of a mama's boy," Green said. He said Hayes' mother regularly brought him to school, to summer practices and to tutoring sessions.
But attorneys also say there may be a credible self-defense argument for Cardell Hayes.
Hayes stayed at the scene until police arrived and police said he admitted to being the shooter. Jail records say he's being held for alleged second-degree murder, with bail set at $1 million,Nike Vapormax Plus Scontate, but he has not yet been formally charged. Prosecutors in District Attorney Leon Cannizzaro's office are expected to take evidence to a grand jury ahead of a preliminary hearing set for April 28.
Hayes is the 28-year-old ex-semi-pro football player jailed for allegedly killing Smith late Saturday after a car crash and subsequent confrontation — the details of which are the subject of hot dispute.
Heralded as a leader on the Saints team that rebounded with the hurricane-stricken city and won the Super Bowl after the 2009 season, Smith was a New York native and Ohio State star who stayed in the area after his 2012 retirement.
Veteran New Orleans lawyer Donald "Chick" Foret,Adidas Stan Smith Clearance, sees possible arguments for the defense. Thomson's statement that Racquel Smith was shot first plays into one of them. If it's true, Foret says, it could be argued that Hayes first was squeezing off warning shots that hit her legs. It could also be argued that shots to the back and side indicate Smith was reaching into the car for a gun.
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The bullet-riddled corpse of a retired football star — seven shots to the back, one to the side — makes a powerful starting point for prosecutors as they build the case against a gunman jailed in the death of former New Orleans Saint Will Smith,Stitched NFL Jerseys, say legal experts who are watching the story unfold.
Hoeffel, agrees. She also marvels at how a case that initially looked like "a fairly straightforward homicide" has evolved. Details have emerged, including video showing that Smith's car appears to have lightly rear-ended Hayes's vehicle a few blocks away from the shooting scene, moments before the confrontation.
His popularity is one of the hurdles for the defense, says Janet "Jancy" Hoeffel, a criminal lawyer and professor at Tulane's law school.
Hayes' defense lawyer John Fuller has stated that Hayes was not the aggressor Saturday night and that a witness saw a gun in Smith's possession. Police say a loaded, unfire

The Vikings shouldn't need to get into many shootouts to win games this season, and they don't have to look back far for inspiration.
Peterson was one of the few true workhorses left at running back in the league. He had 31 carries in the first two weeks, while the rest of the running backs on the roster combined for just 13.
With Peterson gone, it would figure that the offense would evolve more to feature the passing game with Bradford, Diggs and tight end Kyle Rudolph. But Zimmer and Turner both said they were committed to a balanced offense.
RUNNING BACK CREW
While none of those three have anything close to the resume of Peterson, they all bring different things to the table that can help them be effective as a group.
Zimmer is a defensive-minded coach,Sac Fjallraven Kanken Pas Cher, and he has his unit playing at a high level early in the season. The Vikings rank fifth in total defense, scored two touchdowns in the season-opening 25-16 victory in Tennessee and kept Aaron Rodgers and the Packers offense under wraps in the 17-14 win on Sunday night.
"You're going to have guys go down throughout the year," defensive end Brian Robison said.
With Everson Griffen, Harrison Smith,Stitched Arizona Cardinals Jerseys, Danielle Hunter and Eric Kendricks, the Vikings have a versatile, aggressive, playmaking unit that will take the pressure off the offense.
Sam Bradford surpassed all expectations on Sunday night when he took hold of the offense after two weeks of practice and was so sharp in a victory over the Green Bay Packers,Ultra Boost Cheap China.
EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. (AP) — In this day and age of high-flying passing attacks, the Minnesota Vikings have been a bit of a throwback in their run-first approach to offense.
The Broncos rode a dominant defense to the Super Bowl championship last season, with DeMarcus Ware, Von Miller, Aqib Talib and crew helping a weakened Peyton Manning win his second title.
This week they lost Peterson and starting left tackle Matt Kalil (hip) to long-term injuries, but they remain confident that all is not lost heading into a Week 3 matchup at Carolina.
"That's our identity and that's how we're built. We're going to continue to stay that way," Zimmer said.
So here is the formula the Vikings (2-0) will have to follow to survive life without Peterson carrying the offensive load:
"We can mix them however we want, but Jerick with his explosiveness and his ability to come out of the backfield when appropriate we will try to take advantage of that."
And the Vikings were ranked 28th in the league in offense with the best running back of his era on the field.
He immediately clicked with second-year receiver Stefon Diggs, a budding star who had nine catches for 182 yards and a touchdown in the game.
"I know everybody is all concerned about we don't have this or we don't have that but it's a team," coach Mike Zimmer said.
Now the offense will use a running back by committee, with shifty Jerick McKinnon getting the start, thumper Matt Asiata spelling him and the recently signed Ronnie Hillman there for insurance.
"Hopefully we can play good defense and hopefully we can run the ball. Take our shots when we get a chance. We're not going to change and go to like five (receivers) every play."
Bradford completed 22 of 31 passes for 286 yards and two touchdowns, taking advantage of a defense that had loaded up to stop Peterson.
The Vikings started the season with Super Bowl aspirations, even after quarterback Teddy Bridgewater went down just over a week before the opener with a devastating knee injury.
"That's why we have 53 guys here, so that we can try to win as a team. That's all I've ever done since I've been here."
"They're both capable of being good pass protectors. They're both good receivers,China Jerseys," offensive coordinator Norv Turner said.
BRADFORD'S ARM, DIGGS' HANDS
Adrian Peterson had surgery on Thursday to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee, a procedure that is expected to keep him out for at least several months with a strong possibility that he misses the rest of the season.
McKinnon is an accomplished receiver out of the backfield,Cheap Dallas Cowboys Throwback Jerseys, an area that Peterson never mastered.
So now that the focal point of that offense is lost for the foreseeable future, the season is over, right?
Asiata hits the holes quick and never dances in the backfield like Peterson would do on occasion,