Wife of Slain NFL Star Breaks Down on Witness Stand

Ex-NFL player Will Smith was killed in New Orleans in April.

ByABC News
December 6, 2016, 6:19 PM

— -- The wife of slain New Orleans Saints star Will Smith broke down on the stand today in the trial of her husband's alleged killer, saying "my worst nightmare happened for no reason," according to ABC News affiliate WGNO.

Racquel Smith was also wounded in the apparent road-rage shooting in New Orleans on April 9 that left her 34-year-old husband dead.

PHOTO: Will Smith, #91 of the New Orleans Saints, looks on against the St. Louis Rams at the Edward Jones Dome, on Oct. 30, 2011, in St. Louis, Missouri.
Will Smith, #91 of the New Orleans Saints, looks on against the St. Louis Rams at the Edward Jones Dome, on Oct. 30, 2011, in St. Louis, Missouri.

"I don't want sympathy, I want justice," she said on the stand, according to WGNO. "He is not here today so I am his voice."

Cardell Hayes, a former semiprofessional football player, was charged with second-degree murder to which he pleaded not guilty. If convicted, he will face a mandatory life sentence, according to the Associated Press.

Hayes is also charged with attempted second-degree murder, because Smith's wife was shot and injured in the incident, the AP reported.

PHOTO: Cardell Hayes is seen in a booking photo released by the New Orleans Police Department, in New Orleans, Louisiana April 10, 2016.
Cardell Hayes is seen in a booking photo released by the New Orleans Police Department, in New Orleans, Louisiana April 10, 2016. Hayes, accused of killing retired NFL player Will Smith and injuring the athlete's wife this month in a New Orleans shooting, was indicted on April 28, 2016.

New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees and former Saints player Steve Gleason were among those gathered at the courthouse today for support on the first day of the trial.

PHOTO: Will Smith #91 and Drew Brees #9 of the New Orleans Saints stand with former Saint Steve Gleason during a game at the Louisiana Superdome, Sept. 25, 2011, in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Will Smith #91 and Drew Brees #9 of the New Orleans Saints stand with former Saint Steve Gleason during a game at the Louisiana Superdome, Sept. 25, 2011, in New Orleans, Louisiana.

This afternoon, the victim's wife took the stand for the prosecution and recounted the day of the shooting.

She said that morning "we got dressed, we kissed the kids goodbye, and we told them we would be back," WGNO reported.

The former Saints player posted a photo the day of the shooting, writing "Having a blast" at New Orleans' French Quarter Fest.

According to WGNO, Racquel Smith testified that, at one point during the alleged altercation between Hayes and her husband, "I looked at my husband in the eyes and said this is not worth it ... and he walked away with me."

"We were walking back to the car and I heard a pop pop," she said, according to WGNO. "I fell to the ground and played dead then I heard more pops."