Alec Baldwin Shot and Killed Female Cinematographer, Injured Director on Movie Set
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https://twitter.com/hunleyeric/status/1673426804382498816
https://twitter.com/barnes_law/status/1673492266487369729
Nothing up on Nate's channel yet.
Skip to the 8:30 mark (or 20:20 to skip the recap stuff) in Viva Frei's stream (below).
BREAKING NEWS: Alec Baldwin - Rust Shooting Related - Live with Eric Hunley
Hunley called me. Said he wanted to go live. I said of course.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GX9aNztjD0
There's a Rumble version of Viva Frei's live stream, but at the moment, it's just a 15-second placeholder of some kind. *shrug*
https://twitter.com/barnes_law/status/1673492266487369729
Nothing up on Nate's channel yet.
Skip to the 8:30 mark (or 20:20 to skip the recap stuff) in Viva Frei's stream (below).
BREAKING NEWS: Alec Baldwin - Rust Shooting Related - Live with Eric Hunley
Hunley called me. Said he wanted to go live. I said of course.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GX9aNztjD0
There's a Rumble version of Viva Frei's live stream, but at the moment, it's just a 15-second placeholder of some kind. *shrug*
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Alec Baldwin may face fresh charges for having pulled the trigger in film set shooting death of Halyna Hutchins
"If it is determined that the gun did not malfunction, charges against Mr. Baldwin will proceed."
https://thepostmillennial.com/alec-...in-film-set-shooting-death-of-halyna-hutchins
Sara Higdon (17 August 2023)
A new analysis report on the gun involved in the shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of "Rust" alleges that actor Alec Baldwin did pull the trigger in the incident after it found the revolver worked as designed.
Prosecutors commissioned firearms expert Lucien C. Haag and forensic science consultant Michael G. Haag, after they dropped involuntary manslaughter charges against Baldwin in April, to determine if the gun was modified and malfunctioned in the shooting.
The report obtained by Fox News Digital said, "Although Alec Baldwin repeatedly denies pulling the trigger, given the tests, findings, and observations reported here, the trigger had to be pulled or depressed sufficiently to release the fully cocked or retracted hammer of the evidence revolver."
"This fatal incident was the consequence of the hammer being manually retracted to its fully rearward and cocked position followed, at some point, by the pull or rearward depression of the trigger," it said.
Baldwin and ex-Rust armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed both pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter charges in the death of Hutchins. Charges against Baldwin were dropped without prejudice so with the new information the actor could see charges refiled.
In a June 9 filing, prosecutors said they would refile charges if the gun was not modified. The report said, "The gun and broken sear have been sent to the state’s independent expert for further testing. The charges against Alec Baldwin were dismissed without prejudice because a possible malfunction of the gun significantly affects causation with regard to Baldwin, not with regard to Gutierrez."
"If it is determined that the gun did not malfunction, charges against Mr. Baldwin will proceed" it continued.
Gutierrez-Reed was responsible for all the guns and ammunition on the set of the movie and is accused by prosecutors of a "sloppy mishandling of firearms." She allegedly loaded the weapon on the day of the shooting and exited the church where the scene was being shot.
Investigators found dummy rounds and live rounds mixed together, which is a violation of safety standards. Rust was only her second time working as an armorer on a film set.
Though Baldwin has maintained that he never pulled the trigger on the revolver, he previously settled with Hutchins' estate in an October 2022, civil suit.
Prosecutors have not made a final decision on whether they will refile charges against Baldwin.
"If it is determined that the gun did not malfunction, charges against Mr. Baldwin will proceed."
https://thepostmillennial.com/alec-...in-film-set-shooting-death-of-halyna-hutchins
Sara Higdon (17 August 2023)
A new analysis report on the gun involved in the shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of "Rust" alleges that actor Alec Baldwin did pull the trigger in the incident after it found the revolver worked as designed.
Prosecutors commissioned firearms expert Lucien C. Haag and forensic science consultant Michael G. Haag, after they dropped involuntary manslaughter charges against Baldwin in April, to determine if the gun was modified and malfunctioned in the shooting.
The report obtained by Fox News Digital said, "Although Alec Baldwin repeatedly denies pulling the trigger, given the tests, findings, and observations reported here, the trigger had to be pulled or depressed sufficiently to release the fully cocked or retracted hammer of the evidence revolver."
"This fatal incident was the consequence of the hammer being manually retracted to its fully rearward and cocked position followed, at some point, by the pull or rearward depression of the trigger," it said.
Baldwin and ex-Rust armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed both pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter charges in the death of Hutchins. Charges against Baldwin were dropped without prejudice so with the new information the actor could see charges refiled.
In a June 9 filing, prosecutors said they would refile charges if the gun was not modified. The report said, "The gun and broken sear have been sent to the state’s independent expert for further testing. The charges against Alec Baldwin were dismissed without prejudice because a possible malfunction of the gun significantly affects causation with regard to Baldwin, not with regard to Gutierrez."
"If it is determined that the gun did not malfunction, charges against Mr. Baldwin will proceed" it continued.
Gutierrez-Reed was responsible for all the guns and ammunition on the set of the movie and is accused by prosecutors of a "sloppy mishandling of firearms." She allegedly loaded the weapon on the day of the shooting and exited the church where the scene was being shot.
Investigators found dummy rounds and live rounds mixed together, which is a violation of safety standards. Rust was only her second time working as an armorer on a film set.
Though Baldwin has maintained that he never pulled the trigger on the revolver, he previously settled with Hutchins' estate in an October 2022, civil suit.
Prosecutors have not made a final decision on whether they will refile charges against Baldwin.
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Grand jury indicts Alec Baldwin in fatal shooting of cinematographer on movie set in New Mexico
https://apnews.com/article/alec-baldwin-rust-set-shooting-charge-59e437602146168ced27fd8e03acb636
{Morgan Lee | 19 January 2024}
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A grand jury indicted Alec Baldwin on Friday on an involuntary manslaughter charge in a 2021 fatal shooting during a rehearsal on a movie set in New Mexico, reviving a dormant case against the actor.
Special prosecutors brought the case before a grand jury in Santa Fe this week, months after receiving a new analysis of the gun that was used. They declined to answer questions after spending about a day and a half presenting their case to the grand jury.
Defense attorneys for Baldwin indicated they’ll fight the charge.
“We look forward to our day in court,” said Luke Nikas and Alex Spiro, defense attorneys for Baldwin, in an email.
While the proceeding is shrouded in secrecy, two of the witnesses seen at the courthouse included crew members — one who was present when the fatal shot was fired and another who had walked off the set the day before due to safety concerns.
Baldwin, the lead actor and a co-producer on the Western movie “Rust,” was pointing a gun at cinematographer Halyna Hutchins during a rehearsal on a movie set outside Santa Fe in October 2021 when the gun went off, killing her and wounding director Joel Souza.
Baldwin has said he pulled back the hammer, but not the trigger, and the gun fired.
The charge has again put Baldwin in legal trouble and created the possibility of prison time for an actor who has been a TV and movie mainstay for nearly 40 years, with roles in the early blockbuster “The Hunt for Red October,” Martin Scorsese’s “The Departed” and the sitcom “30 Rock.”
The indictment provides prosecutors with two alternative standards for pursuing an involuntary manslaughter charge against Baldwin in the death of Hutchins. One would be based on negligent use of a firearm, and the other alleges felony misconduct “with the total disregard or indifference for the safety of others.”
Judges recently agreed to put on hold several civil lawsuits seeking compensation from Baldwin and producers of “Rust” after prosecutors said they would present their case to a grand jury. Plaintiffs in those suits include members of the film crew.
Los Angeles-based attorney Gloria Allred, who is representing the slain cinematographer’s parents and younger sister in a civil case, said Friday that her clients have been seeking the truth about what happened the day Hutchins was killed and will be looking forward to Baldwin’s trial.
Neama Rahmani, a former federal prosecutor and president of the West Coast Trial Lawyers firm in Los Angeles, pointed to previous missteps by prosecutors, saying they will need to do more than present ballistics evidence to make a case that Baldwin had a broader responsibility and legal duty when it came to handling the gun on the set.
Special prosecutors dismissed an involuntary manslaughter charge against Baldwin in April, saying they were informed the gun might have been modified before the shooting and malfunctioned. They later pivoted and began weighing whether to refile a charge against Baldwin after receiving a new analysis of the gun.
The analysis from experts in ballistics and forensic testing relied on replacement parts to reassemble the gun fired by Baldwin, after parts of the pistol were broken during testing by the FBI. The report examined the gun and markings it left on a spent cartridge to conclude that the trigger had to have been pulled or depressed.
The analysis led by Lucien Haag of Forensic Science Services in Arizona stated that although Baldwin repeatedly denied pulling the trigger, “given the tests, findings and observations reported here, the trigger had to be pulled or depressed sufficiently to release the fully cocked or retracted hammer of the evidence revolver.”
The weapons supervisor on the movie set, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, has pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter and evidence tampering in the case. Her trial is scheduled to begin in February.
“Rust” assistant director and safety coordinator David Halls pleaded no contest to unsafe handling of a firearm last March and received a suspended sentence of six months of probation. He agreed to cooperate in the investigation of the shooting
An earlier FBI report on the agency’s analysis of the gun found that, as is common with firearms of that design, it could go off without pulling the trigger if force was applied to an uncocked hammer, such as by dropping the weapon.
The only way the testers could get it to fire was by striking the gun with a mallet while the hammer was down and resting on the cartridge, or by pulling the trigger while it was fully cocked. The gun eventually broke during testing.
The 2021 shooting resulted in a series of civil lawsuits, including wrongful death claims filed by members of Hutchins’ family, centered on accusations that the defendants were lax with safety standards. Baldwin and other defendants have disputed those allegations.
The Rust Movie Productions company has paid a $100,000 fine to state workplace safety regulators after a scathing narrative of failures in violation of standard industry protocols, including testimony that production managers took limited or no action to address two misfires on set before the fatal shooting.
The filming of “Rust” resumed last year in Montana, under an agreement with the cinematographer’s widower, Matthew Hutchins, that made him an executive producer.
https://apnews.com/article/alec-baldwin-rust-set-shooting-charge-59e437602146168ced27fd8e03acb636
{Morgan Lee | 19 January 2024}
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A grand jury indicted Alec Baldwin on Friday on an involuntary manslaughter charge in a 2021 fatal shooting during a rehearsal on a movie set in New Mexico, reviving a dormant case against the actor.
Special prosecutors brought the case before a grand jury in Santa Fe this week, months after receiving a new analysis of the gun that was used. They declined to answer questions after spending about a day and a half presenting their case to the grand jury.
Defense attorneys for Baldwin indicated they’ll fight the charge.
“We look forward to our day in court,” said Luke Nikas and Alex Spiro, defense attorneys for Baldwin, in an email.
While the proceeding is shrouded in secrecy, two of the witnesses seen at the courthouse included crew members — one who was present when the fatal shot was fired and another who had walked off the set the day before due to safety concerns.
Baldwin, the lead actor and a co-producer on the Western movie “Rust,” was pointing a gun at cinematographer Halyna Hutchins during a rehearsal on a movie set outside Santa Fe in October 2021 when the gun went off, killing her and wounding director Joel Souza.
Baldwin has said he pulled back the hammer, but not the trigger, and the gun fired.
The charge has again put Baldwin in legal trouble and created the possibility of prison time for an actor who has been a TV and movie mainstay for nearly 40 years, with roles in the early blockbuster “The Hunt for Red October,” Martin Scorsese’s “The Departed” and the sitcom “30 Rock.”
The indictment provides prosecutors with two alternative standards for pursuing an involuntary manslaughter charge against Baldwin in the death of Hutchins. One would be based on negligent use of a firearm, and the other alleges felony misconduct “with the total disregard or indifference for the safety of others.”
Judges recently agreed to put on hold several civil lawsuits seeking compensation from Baldwin and producers of “Rust” after prosecutors said they would present their case to a grand jury. Plaintiffs in those suits include members of the film crew.
Los Angeles-based attorney Gloria Allred, who is representing the slain cinematographer’s parents and younger sister in a civil case, said Friday that her clients have been seeking the truth about what happened the day Hutchins was killed and will be looking forward to Baldwin’s trial.
Neama Rahmani, a former federal prosecutor and president of the West Coast Trial Lawyers firm in Los Angeles, pointed to previous missteps by prosecutors, saying they will need to do more than present ballistics evidence to make a case that Baldwin had a broader responsibility and legal duty when it came to handling the gun on the set.
Special prosecutors dismissed an involuntary manslaughter charge against Baldwin in April, saying they were informed the gun might have been modified before the shooting and malfunctioned. They later pivoted and began weighing whether to refile a charge against Baldwin after receiving a new analysis of the gun.
The analysis from experts in ballistics and forensic testing relied on replacement parts to reassemble the gun fired by Baldwin, after parts of the pistol were broken during testing by the FBI. The report examined the gun and markings it left on a spent cartridge to conclude that the trigger had to have been pulled or depressed.
The analysis led by Lucien Haag of Forensic Science Services in Arizona stated that although Baldwin repeatedly denied pulling the trigger, “given the tests, findings and observations reported here, the trigger had to be pulled or depressed sufficiently to release the fully cocked or retracted hammer of the evidence revolver.”
The weapons supervisor on the movie set, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, has pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter and evidence tampering in the case. Her trial is scheduled to begin in February.
“Rust” assistant director and safety coordinator David Halls pleaded no contest to unsafe handling of a firearm last March and received a suspended sentence of six months of probation. He agreed to cooperate in the investigation of the shooting
An earlier FBI report on the agency’s analysis of the gun found that, as is common with firearms of that design, it could go off without pulling the trigger if force was applied to an uncocked hammer, such as by dropping the weapon.
The only way the testers could get it to fire was by striking the gun with a mallet while the hammer was down and resting on the cartridge, or by pulling the trigger while it was fully cocked. The gun eventually broke during testing.
The 2021 shooting resulted in a series of civil lawsuits, including wrongful death claims filed by members of Hutchins’ family, centered on accusations that the defendants were lax with safety standards. Baldwin and other defendants have disputed those allegations.
The Rust Movie Productions company has paid a $100,000 fine to state workplace safety regulators after a scathing narrative of failures in violation of standard industry protocols, including testimony that production managers took limited or no action to address two misfires on set before the fatal shooting.
The filming of “Rust” resumed last year in Montana, under an agreement with the cinematographer’s widower, Matthew Hutchins, that made him an executive producer.
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Alec Baldwin in DEEP SH*T! Actor Charged For Involuntary MANSLAUGHTER!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKuAerWD3bY
{Nerdrotic Daily | 21 January 2024}
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKuAerWD3bY
{Nerdrotic Daily | 21 January 2024}
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'Rust' armorer sentenced to 18 months in prison for involuntary manslaughter conviction
https://www.usatoday.com/story/ente...rrez-reed-sentenced-alec-baldwin/73325809007/
{Taijuan Moorman | 15 April 2024}
"Rust" armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed has been sentenced to 18 months in prison after being found guilty of involuntary manslaughter last month in the 2021 shooting death of Halyna Hutchins.
Though Alec Baldwin, 66, pulled the trigger, a jury found Gutierrez-Reed had erroneously loaded a live round into a revolver he was using on the Santa Fe, New Mexico, movie set.
Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer addressed phone calls Gutierrez-Reed made from jail, citing comments she made to family and friends as evidence she had failed to take accountability.
"In your allocution you said you were sorry but not … sorry for what you did," Marlowe Sommer said. "It was your attorney that had to tell the court that you were remorseful.
"The word remorse: a deep regret coming from a sense of guilt for past wrongs," she continued. "That's not you."
Gutierrez-Reed has been in custody since the Santa Fe jury found her guilty on March 6, following a multi-week trial. The movie set armorer faced up to 18 months in prison and a $5,000 fine for her role in the accidental shooting death of Hutchins, a cinematographer on set of the low-budget Western, in October 2021. Gutierrez-Reed's lawyer Jason Bowles requested she be given probation as she had no previous criminal record.
The jury took about two hours to reach its verdict, with one juror afterward saying Gutierrez had not done "her job" to ensure weapons safety on set.
Gutierrez-Reed opted to make a statement before the court, saying her "heart aches" for Hutchins' family, friends and the film industry at large. The armorer requested the judge sentence her to probation, noting she would accept any classes she ordered.
"I am saddened by the way the media sensationalized our traumatic tragedy and portrayed me as a complete monster, which has actually been the total opposite of what's in my heart," she said.
USA TODAY has reached out to Hutchins' family and Gutierrez-Reed's lawyers for comment.
[...]
Alec Baldwin involuntary manslaughter trial to begin in July
Baldwin's trial for his role in the shooting death of Hutchins begins July 10, after he was indicted in January of involuntary manslaughter.
[...]
https://www.usatoday.com/story/ente...rrez-reed-sentenced-alec-baldwin/73325809007/
{Taijuan Moorman | 15 April 2024}
"Rust" armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed has been sentenced to 18 months in prison after being found guilty of involuntary manslaughter last month in the 2021 shooting death of Halyna Hutchins.
Though Alec Baldwin, 66, pulled the trigger, a jury found Gutierrez-Reed had erroneously loaded a live round into a revolver he was using on the Santa Fe, New Mexico, movie set.
Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer addressed phone calls Gutierrez-Reed made from jail, citing comments she made to family and friends as evidence she had failed to take accountability.
"In your allocution you said you were sorry but not … sorry for what you did," Marlowe Sommer said. "It was your attorney that had to tell the court that you were remorseful.
"The word remorse: a deep regret coming from a sense of guilt for past wrongs," she continued. "That's not you."
Gutierrez-Reed has been in custody since the Santa Fe jury found her guilty on March 6, following a multi-week trial. The movie set armorer faced up to 18 months in prison and a $5,000 fine for her role in the accidental shooting death of Hutchins, a cinematographer on set of the low-budget Western, in October 2021. Gutierrez-Reed's lawyer Jason Bowles requested she be given probation as she had no previous criminal record.
The jury took about two hours to reach its verdict, with one juror afterward saying Gutierrez had not done "her job" to ensure weapons safety on set.
Gutierrez-Reed opted to make a statement before the court, saying her "heart aches" for Hutchins' family, friends and the film industry at large. The armorer requested the judge sentence her to probation, noting she would accept any classes she ordered.
"I am saddened by the way the media sensationalized our traumatic tragedy and portrayed me as a complete monster, which has actually been the total opposite of what's in my heart," she said.
USA TODAY has reached out to Hutchins' family and Gutierrez-Reed's lawyers for comment.
[...]
Alec Baldwin involuntary manslaughter trial to begin in July
Baldwin's trial for his role in the shooting death of Hutchins begins July 10, after he was indicted in January of involuntary manslaughter.
[...]
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Judge in Alec Baldwin’s involuntary manslaughter trial dismisses case
Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer agreed the prosecution had suppressed evidence and the trial could not continue.
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-new...-manslaughter-trial-dismisses-case-rcna161536
{Sumiko Moots & Daniel Arkin | 12 July 2024}
SANTE FE, New Mexico — In a stunning turn of events, the judge in Alec Baldwin’s involuntary manslaughter trial dismissed the case Friday, agreeing with the actor's lawyers that prosecutors hid evidence that may have been linked to the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the Western movie “Rust” in 2021.
"There is no way for the court to right this wrong," said First Judicial District Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer. "The sanction of dismissal is the only warranted remedy." The dismissal was with prejudice, meaning the involuntary manslaughter case against the actor cannot be filed again.
Baldwin, 66, sobbed and put his face in his hands as Sommer announced her decision. He then embraced his wife, Hilaria, as lawyers and spectators started filing out of the courtroom.
Baldwin could have been sentenced to up to 18 months in prison if the jurors had unanimously agreed he committed the felony. The actor was rehearsing a scene at the Bonanza Creek Ranch in Santa Fe County on Oct. 21, 2021, when the prop revolver he was holding went off, killing Hutchins, 42, and wounding director Joel Souza.
The actor, best known for his role on "30 Rock" and appearances on "Saturday Night Live," had pleaded not guilty. He claims that he was not aware the revolver contained a live round and that it discharged accidentally after he followed instructions to point it toward Hutchins.
Baldwin’s lawyers asserted that the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office took possession of live rounds of ammunition as evidence but did not record them in the official case file or reveal their existence to the actor’s defense team.
Kari Morrissey, the special prosecutor in the case, said the disputed ammunition was not linked to the case or hidden from Baldwin’s lawyers. She argued the bullets were not the same size or composition as the live rounds retrieved from the “Rust” set — including the one that killed Hutchins, 42 — and described the dispute as a “wild goose chase that has no evidentiary value whatsoever.”
Morrissey said after the ruling that she was disappointed by the court's dismissal and disagreed, but respects the decision.
"I believe the importance of the evidence was misconstrued by the defense attorneys," Morrissey told reporters outside court.
Asked if she believed she let the Hutchins family down, Morrissey said: "No, we didn't. We did everything humanly possible to bring justice to Halyna and to her family, and we're proud of the work that we did."
Marissa Poppell, a sheriff’s office crime scene technician who testified this week, claimed the rounds were not hidden from Baldwin’s lawyers and pushed back on Baldwin lawyer Alex Spiro’s contention that the Colt .45 ammunition matched the round that killed Hutchins.
The Colt .45 rounds were delivered to the sheriff’s office in March by former police officer Troy Teske, a friend of Thell Reed, the stepfather of “Rust” armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the same day she was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in Hutchins’ death. The prosecution described Teske as a “good Samaritan.”
Gutierrez-Reed was sentenced to 18 months behind bars, but the dismissal of Baldwin’s case could lead to her conviction being overturned.
The actor and his team had already won a major legal victory this week when First Judicial District Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer ruled at a pretrial hearing Monday that his role as a co-producer on “Rust” was not relevant to the trial. The move prevented prosecutors from arguing that he bore a special responsibility on the set.
Baldwin is a three-time Emmy winner known for NBC’s “30 Rock” and his record 17 hosting stints on NBC’s “Saturday Night Live.” He has appeared in films such as “Beetlejuice,” “The Hunt for Red October,” “Glengarry Glen Ross” and “The Cooler,” the last of which earned him an Oscar nomination.
The road to the trial was paved with twists and turns.
Baldwin was originally charged with involuntary manslaughter and a firearm enhancement charge, but the latter charge was eventually dropped. The charges were dismissed altogether in April 2023 as prosecutors cited “new facts in the case.” Then, in January, a grand jury indicted him on an involuntary manslaughter charge once again.
Baldwin’s lawyers asked the judge last month to toss the case, arguing that the firearm was badly damaged during forensic testing at an FBI lab. But that motion was denied.
Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer agreed the prosecution had suppressed evidence and the trial could not continue.
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-new...-manslaughter-trial-dismisses-case-rcna161536
{Sumiko Moots & Daniel Arkin | 12 July 2024}
SANTE FE, New Mexico — In a stunning turn of events, the judge in Alec Baldwin’s involuntary manslaughter trial dismissed the case Friday, agreeing with the actor's lawyers that prosecutors hid evidence that may have been linked to the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the Western movie “Rust” in 2021.
"There is no way for the court to right this wrong," said First Judicial District Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer. "The sanction of dismissal is the only warranted remedy." The dismissal was with prejudice, meaning the involuntary manslaughter case against the actor cannot be filed again.
Baldwin, 66, sobbed and put his face in his hands as Sommer announced her decision. He then embraced his wife, Hilaria, as lawyers and spectators started filing out of the courtroom.
Baldwin could have been sentenced to up to 18 months in prison if the jurors had unanimously agreed he committed the felony. The actor was rehearsing a scene at the Bonanza Creek Ranch in Santa Fe County on Oct. 21, 2021, when the prop revolver he was holding went off, killing Hutchins, 42, and wounding director Joel Souza.
The actor, best known for his role on "30 Rock" and appearances on "Saturday Night Live," had pleaded not guilty. He claims that he was not aware the revolver contained a live round and that it discharged accidentally after he followed instructions to point it toward Hutchins.
Baldwin’s lawyers asserted that the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office took possession of live rounds of ammunition as evidence but did not record them in the official case file or reveal their existence to the actor’s defense team.
Kari Morrissey, the special prosecutor in the case, said the disputed ammunition was not linked to the case or hidden from Baldwin’s lawyers. She argued the bullets were not the same size or composition as the live rounds retrieved from the “Rust” set — including the one that killed Hutchins, 42 — and described the dispute as a “wild goose chase that has no evidentiary value whatsoever.”
Morrissey said after the ruling that she was disappointed by the court's dismissal and disagreed, but respects the decision.
"I believe the importance of the evidence was misconstrued by the defense attorneys," Morrissey told reporters outside court.
Asked if she believed she let the Hutchins family down, Morrissey said: "No, we didn't. We did everything humanly possible to bring justice to Halyna and to her family, and we're proud of the work that we did."
Marissa Poppell, a sheriff’s office crime scene technician who testified this week, claimed the rounds were not hidden from Baldwin’s lawyers and pushed back on Baldwin lawyer Alex Spiro’s contention that the Colt .45 ammunition matched the round that killed Hutchins.
The Colt .45 rounds were delivered to the sheriff’s office in March by former police officer Troy Teske, a friend of Thell Reed, the stepfather of “Rust” armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the same day she was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in Hutchins’ death. The prosecution described Teske as a “good Samaritan.”
Gutierrez-Reed was sentenced to 18 months behind bars, but the dismissal of Baldwin’s case could lead to her conviction being overturned.
The actor and his team had already won a major legal victory this week when First Judicial District Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer ruled at a pretrial hearing Monday that his role as a co-producer on “Rust” was not relevant to the trial. The move prevented prosecutors from arguing that he bore a special responsibility on the set.
Baldwin is a three-time Emmy winner known for NBC’s “30 Rock” and his record 17 hosting stints on NBC’s “Saturday Night Live.” He has appeared in films such as “Beetlejuice,” “The Hunt for Red October,” “Glengarry Glen Ross” and “The Cooler,” the last of which earned him an Oscar nomination.
The road to the trial was paved with twists and turns.
Baldwin was originally charged with involuntary manslaughter and a firearm enhancement charge, but the latter charge was eventually dropped. The charges were dismissed altogether in April 2023 as prosecutors cited “new facts in the case.” Then, in January, a grand jury indicted him on an involuntary manslaughter charge once again.
Baldwin’s lawyers asked the judge last month to toss the case, arguing that the firearm was badly damaged during forensic testing at an FBI lab. But that motion was denied.
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Swordsmyth
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He was not declared innocent, the case was thrown out with prejudice for (probably deliberate) prosecutorial misconduct related to evidence not central to the case against him.
acptulsa
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Is that really the only inaccuracy you found in that? You're worse than Snopes.
The jury didn't do it. It wasn't a murder trial. He can't sue random individuals for defamation. The First applies on line. That's not a photograph of Alec Baldwin.
They say it takes one to know one, but just like con men are the easiest marks for other con men, you don't seem to be able to identify other internet parodies.
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Anti Federalist
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ClaytonB
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Now you know the benefits of belonging to the Bohemian Club...
(PS: I have no information indicating that Baldwin is a member of the BC, it's a joke...)
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Yeah, well, Coach is a licensed notary public who has so many championship rings he has difficulty opening doors, so I think I'll just take his word over that of people who have to finance their waterbeds.
https://x.com/3YearLetterman/status/1811909819621613854
Invisible Man
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I don't always believe what I read on the internet, but when I do, I believe Three Year Letterman...
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