FILM-RUST-SHOOTING: The judge throws out Alec Baldwin’s accusations related to Rust.
New Mexico’s Santa FeAlec Baldwin’s attorneys contended that the police and prosecution concealed information regarding the origin of the live bullet that killed “Rust” cinematographer Halyna Hutchins in 2021, and the court in New Mexico dismissed the involuntary manslaughter charges against Baldwin on Friday.
Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer issued her decision over the defense’s previous Friday request following the hearing of evidence, three days after Baldwin’s trial in New Mexico started.
After the judge’s decision, Baldwin’s sister Elizabeth Keuchler broke down in tears. Baldwin also gave a hug to his wife Hilaria, who had been in court for the whole week’s proceedings. Baldwin then departed the courtroom without interacting with the media.
According to the actor’s legal team, the Santa Fe sheriff’s office seized live rounds as evidence in the case but neglected to include them in the “Rust” investigation file or tell defense attorneys that they were there.
Additionally, they claimed that the shells proved Seth Kenney, the movie’s prop supplier, was the source of the bullet that killed Hutchins. Kenney has not been charged in this matter and has denied providing live ammo to the production.
In making her ruling, Sommer stated, “The state’s withholding of the evidence was wilful and deliberate.” “Dismissal with prejudice is warranted to ensure the integrity of the judicial system and the efficient administration of justice.”
One of the state prosecutors, Erlinda Johnson, left the case earlier on Friday.
Lead state prosecutor Kari Morrissey told the court, “I did not intend to mislead the court,” after taking the stand. “My understanding of what was dropped off at the sheriff’s office is on this computer screen and it looks absolutely nothing like the live rounds from the set of Rust.”
Troy Teske, a friend of Thell Reed, the stepfather of “Rust” armorer Hannah Gutierrez, turned over the Colt.45 bullets at the core of the dismissal to the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office on March 6. That same day, Gutierrez was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in connection with Hutchins’ death.
In her Friday court testimony, Marissa Poppel, a technician with the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office, stated that Baldwin was not kept in the dark about the rounds, and she was instructed to file them along with information about how they were acquired under a case number unrelated to the “Rust” case. She refuted claims made by defense attorney Alex Spiro that Hutchins’s bullet came from a Colt.45 cartridge.
Spiro questioned Morrissey over her behavior toward his client, citing reports from witnesses that she had used foul language to describe him and threatened to discipline him.
“I never said to witnesses that I would teach him a lesson,” she stated.
Gutierrez refuted the accusation made by the prosecutors that she brought the live rounds onto the stage.
Prosecutors claim Baldwin handled the gun carelessly, which contributed to Hutchins’ death. Baldwin’s attorneys claim that law enforcement officials were more concerned with punishing their client than determining the origin of the live round that killed Hutchins, and that Baldwin was let down by Gutierrez and other individuals in charge of set safety.
