Alec Baldwin’s manslaughter trial was put on hold following a motion by his legal team to dismiss the case over claims that evidence of ammunition was hidden.
The third day of BaldwinAt trial, the actor’s attorneys said the Santa Fe Sheriff’s Office took possession of live bullets as evidence in the case, but did not include them in Rust’s investigative file or disclose their existence to defense attorneys.
“This was kept from us,” the actor’s attorney, Alex Spiro, told a sheriff’s office crime scene technician during questioning during a hearing on the motion, while jurors were not in the courtroom. court.
Prosecutors say the ammunition was unrelated to the case and was not hidden.
Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer later summoned the jury only to send them home for the day, so she could hear more evidence on the motion. She told them to come back on Monday.
Baldwin is on trial accused of involuntary manslaughter in the death of the cinematographer. Halyna Hutchinswho died after a gun held by the actor was fired on the set of the western film in New Mexico in October 2021. The 66-year-old man has pleaded not guilty.
He has always maintained that he did not pull the trigger of the gun, that it discharged accidentally and that he was not responsible for the gun’s safety controls.
The defense’s motion to dismiss the case comes after sheriff’s crime scene technician Marissa Poppell was questioned Thursday.
They accuse the State of hiding evidence related to the ammunition that a “good Samaritan” gave to the crime scene technician after the trial of Rust gunsmith Hannah Gutiérrez, who is serving 18 months in prison after being convicted for her role in the shooting at the beginning of this year. .
Baldwin’s lawyers say this came from Rust’s prop supplier, Seth Kenney, and may be related to Ms. Hutchins’ death. The good Samaritan is former Arizona police officer Troy Teske, a friend of Gutierrez’s father and veteran Hollywood gunsmith Thell Reed.
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During Gutierrez’s trial, his defense claimed that a box of fake bullets he was carrying on the day of the shooting came from Mr. Kenney, but prosecutors dispelled those claims.
The state says the bullets Teske later brought in did not match the actual bullets found on the set, as they were not the same size or chemical composition. Prosecutor Kari Morrissey called the attempt a “futile quest” by a man trying to protect his friend’s daughter.
He said the ammunition had no evidentiary value, but Baldwin’s defense team says it should have been disclosed.
It is unclear when the judge will rule on the defense motion, although NBC News, Sky’s US partner, says it could be later today.
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