NEW ORLEANS(WGNO) – Retired New Orleans Police Capt. William Ceravolo is exploring the possibility of filing a civil defamation lawsuit against Cardell Hayes’ defense attorney John Fuller.
From day one of Will Smith’s murder, Fuller has been telling the media that Ceravolo had tampered with evidence at the crime scene, an allegation that has since been proven false. Fuller’s allegations, however, got Ceravolo suspended from his job as a reserve officer.
Now that the trial of Cardell Hayes is over and he’s been convicted of manslaughter and attempted manslaughter for killing Will Smith and shooting Racquel Smith, Ceravolo will be reinstated as a reserve officer.
During litigation, Fuller claimed to have a witness nicknamed “Weedy” that saw Ceravolo remove a gun from the crime scene. Fuller also alluded to the fact that this trial was a conspiracy because Ceravolo was one of the officers involved in the death of Hayes’ father, who was killed by NOPD.
Ceravolo’s attorney, Tanya Faia, spoke on his behalf at a press conference at Orleans Parish Criminal Court Monday.
“Because of the allegations made against him through the media, well not because of you — but through the media, the NOPD found it expedient to tell him that he must turn in his badge, and turn in his gun,” she said. “He could not work as a reserve during the dependency of the investigation, and the litigation he’s also withstood an FBI investigation over his actions that night based on the allegations Mr. Fuller made in the press.”