CINCINNATI, Oct. 12 -- The Charlotte Hornets may hire a Cincinnati basketball player who served one year of a five-to-25 year prison term for killing his girlfriend. Troy Smith, 24, was released on shock probation in June after serving one year and 20 days for the February 1994 involuntary manslaughter death of Kelly Dwyer, 20, the mother of Smith's son, at her Cincinnati apartment.
Their son, Trey Maurice, is now 30 months old. Cincinnati police investigators said the couple had been drinking, and when he realized she had been hurt, he called the police. Smith pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter and was sentenced to the minimum security Marion Correctional Institution, near London, Ohio. Smith is a 6-foot-8 former University of Louisville starting forward. Dwyer was a UL soccer player when they met in 1992. Hornets officials are reportedly investigating the circumstances of Dwyer's death, interested in determining whether Smith may have a tendency to become violent, said Roger Schweickert, corporate affairs vice president. Smith is being considered for that team's training program. Cincinnati police officials used the verb 'bodyslammed' in describing Dwyer's death. Dwyer was thrown to the floor during an argument, suffered head injuries and died a few hours later. If Smith signs with Charlotte, he would become the second NBA player who is a convicted killer. Charles Smith, a member of the Philadelphia 76ers and Georgetown University star, served two years for the hit-and- run deaths of two college students. An NBA spokesman, Chris Brienza, said his league does not have a policy regarding the hiring of convicted felons. 'Once a person has served their time, you can't deny them employment,' Brienza told the Cincinnati Enquirer.
