A judge in Santa Fe, New Mexico, dismissed the involuntary manslaughter trial against” Rust” sun Alec Baldwin on Friday after the writer’s security attorneys raised new questions about how New Mexico law enforcement officers and prosecutors handled the case’s information.
Amid the attention during the high-profile legal test, one of the government’s two special prosecutors — Erlinda O. Johnson— resigned from the situation.
The actor’s attorneys sought to shift the focus of the Santa Fe trial away from the fatal shooting that occurred on the set of the film” Rust” and to another crucial issue: where did the fatal shot originate.
Attorneys for Baldwin have repeatedly accused law enforcement and prosecution of bungling the case, including by allegedly concealing evidence that might help to solve the case’s key mystery, which is the fatal shooting of Halyna Hutchins on October 21, 2021.
Following a remarkable hearing at which Baldwin’s attorney Luke Nikas argued for the dismissal of the case and alleged data relating to the source of the live ammunition, Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer sent the judge home for the day on Friday morning.
Baldwin’s attorneys pointed to a number of questionable bullets that a potential see turned over to coroner’s investigators months previously, accusing the state of misconduct.
” This is important information, your honor”, Nikas said.
The Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office received the information in question three months ago, but it was never turned over to Baldwin’s security staff, Nikas said. In March, a retired Arizona police officer brought shell shells and bullets to the sheriff’s office, supplies the former commander labeled as potential evidence in the” Rust” shooting.
In connection with Hutchins ‘ death, Baldwin was charged with one count of involuntary manslaughter in January. He had entered a not-guilty plea during the test that started on Wednesday.
A show was a part of the reading that Marlowe Sommer described as “unusual.” The determine mandated that the evidence be presented to the court. A sheriff’s deputy entered the hushed courtroom hours later with a bundle and presented it to the prosecutor.
The judge, who was wearing a black robe, put on blue rubber gloves and used scissors to open the sealed data envelope. Finally, following a sheriff’s crime scene specialist, Marlowe Sommer directed a coroner’s crime scene technician to gather and examine the contents of the case, which was filled with .45-caliber bullets.
The investigators looking into the shooting could identify the lead guns found on the” Rust” set by their distinctive shells, and some of the guns introduced on Friday likewise had Starline Brass stamped on them.
According to Baldwin’s group, charges against him may be dropped, citing evidence that requires defense attorneys to provide evidence that may support their case.
Special attorney Kari T. Morrissey objected to the retired officer’s claim that the guns were produced only after the retired officer, Troy Teske, was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter. Morrissey described Teske as” a fine friend” of Gutierrez’s father Thell Reed, a lifelong Hollywood armorer and shooter.
Morrissey argued that the new set of shots” simply lacks any factual worth.”
The judge, however, expressed concern that the defence team had not been given adequate information, and she had to cancel the day of the jury’s evidence to hold a hearing into the management of the Teske-supplied bullets.
The problem first appeared on Thursday during Crime Scene Specialist Marissa Poppell’s evidence. Baldwin’s other attorney Alex Spiro introduced the controversy, saying that a” Good Samaritan” had found evidence that could be helpful to the” Rust” shooting case earlier this year.
In his doubting, Spiro suggested that Santa Fe coroner’s accused sheriff’s prosecutors of “burying” essential information. On Friday, Nikas said the issue was just the latest mistake by lawyers and researchers.
” It’s time for this situation to remain dismissed”, Nikas said.
” The fact that they concealed ( the evidence ), the fact that they put it under a separate document number, did n’t disclose the supplemental report, did n’t disclose the bullets. … If it was that useless, and had no factual value — it would have been it”, Nikas said.
Morrissey referred to the situation as” a wild goose chase.”
” Your respect, there have been absolutely no violations of our responsibility as prosecution”, Morrissey said.
During Thursday’s testimony, Morrissey identified the” Good Samaritan” as a friend of Gutierrez’s stepfather.
” Are you aware that Troy Teske is a close friend of Hannah’s father”? Morrissey asked Poppell during Thursday’s witness when the judge was manifest. Are you aware that Troy Teske wanted to assist Ms. Gutierrez for his own reasons?
The witness have Seth Kenney, who had supplied” Rust” with weapons and weapons, including the one used by Baldwin, was called on the witness stand for the court hearing on Friday evening.
Baldwin’s prosecutors have suggested Kenney provided the lived rounds, a claim Kenney has always refuted at trial.
The result sheriff’s policeman in the case, Alexandria Hancock, after testified that Teske had first shown up at the Santa Fe court during Gutierrez’s test. Hancock said Teske did n’t waited about, and rather took the shots to the coroner’s office.
She claimed she had contacted Teske numerous times to request a see statement. ” I did n’t get a call back”, she said.
The judge sharply questioned Hancock, asking why she had n’t gone to the sheriff’s department to see the bullets that Teske had brought. The prosecutor also wanted to know who had made the decision to combine the Teske shots with a new situation number.
Issues have long persisted about the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office’s research into the killing.
Sheriff’s investigators previously definitively identified the origin of the live ammunition on the” Iron” set, a truth that Baldwin’s team has made a key component of its case, despite the fact that the investigation spanned more than a year.
From the moment representatives arrived at Bonanza Creek Ranch, about 10 miles north of Santa Fe, they were overwhelmed. More than 100 people of the film crew were milling on, trying to make sense of the killing.
The ministry was understaffed. Timoteo Benavidez, a retired sheriff’s commander who was the on-scene captain, told the jury Wednesday that just seven deputies were patrolling the whole region that morning.
The couple of officers who sped to the film set after the 911 call encountered “people everywhere”, Benavidez said. He also had to relax Gutierrez, who was having what appeared to be a panic attack, his neck camera video — which was played for the judge — showed.
Benavidez called New Mexico State Police, asking for troops. But a express police captain refused. ” I do n’t remember if they said they did n’t have enough ( officers ) … or the supervisor just said’ no,'” Benavidez testified.
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