Alec Baldwin's Rust Shooting Trial Dismissed With Prejudice

In this text, there is a discussion about the trial of actor Alec Baldwin in relation to the shooting incident on the set of the movie “Rust.” The text mentions that a woman named Poppell testified about receiving a box of bullets from a friend of Gutierrez’s father, Thell Reed, after Gutierrez’s trial. The defense alleged that the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office and the state concealed evidence that the live round came from Seth Kenney, the weapon supplier for the film.

The shocking conclusion of the involuntary manslaughter trial regarding Alec Baldwin’s involvement in the 2021 fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins has been reached.

A New Mexico judge terminated the case against Alec Baldwin with finality on July 12, following Baldwin’s legal team’s accusation that the prosecution concealed crucial evidence. The allegation surfaced when it was revealed that a “good Samaritan” had provided ammunition to a crime scene technician post-trial, but this evidence was not made known to Baldwin’s lawyers. (Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the armorer involved in the fatal shooting incident, was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in March.)

Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer expressed her regret during Baldwin’s trial, stating, “It’s unfortunate that the court cannot rectify this situation. However, given the circumstances, dismissal is the appropriate course of action.”

As a lifestyle expert, I would explain it this way: When a case is dismissed with prejudice, it signifies that the issue is definitively resolved and cannot be reopened or raised once more in the future.

After Marissa Poppell, a crime scene technician, testified in court that Troy Teske, a former Arizona police officer and friend of Gutierrez-Reed’s father, Thell Reed, provided her with ammunition linked to the Rust case following Gutierrez-Reed’s trial, Baldwin’s dismissal from the case ensued.

As an avid follower of this intriguing case, I can tell you that during the testimony, Poppell admitted to logging the rounds under a distinct case file. However, she vehemently refuted Baldwin’s camp’s accusations suggesting it was done with the intention of concealing it from their team.

According to Baldwin’s lawyers, they weren’t made aware of the ammunition that Teske had brought. In a motion submitted on July 11, they claimed that the bullets originated from Rust ammunition supplier Seth Kenney, whom they identified as a “person of interest.”

The State intentionally hid evidence suggesting an external source for the ammunition (Seth Kenney) since this proof would benefit Baldwin, the defense argued. Baldwin remained oblivious to the danger that live ammo had been brought to the set of Rust.

On July 12th, Kenney insisted he wasn’t the one who supplied the live bullets to Rust, affirming in his testimony that “it was never a doubt in my mind that I didn’t give the live ammunition to him.”

TopMob News has reached out to Teske and Kenney for comment but hasn’t heard back.

One day after the ruling, Baldwin expressed his gratitude to supporters.

In an Instagram post on July 13, I expressed my heartfelt gratitude to the multitude of individuals who have stood by me. Unfortunately, I cannot thank each one of you at this moment in time. To every supporter, please know that your acts of kindness towards my family are deeply appreciated and will never be forgotten.

Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza spoke with TopMob News, expressing his respect for Judge Marlowe Sommer’s ruling in the case. He acknowledged that the situation had been challenging from the start but remained committed to securing justice for Halyna Hutchins and her loved ones throughout the investigation.

Hutchins, 42-year-old victim, succumbed to fatal injuries on the set of “Rust” in October 2021. A live bullet unexpectedly discharged from a prop gun held by actor Alec Baldwin caused the tragic event. Director Joel Souza, also present during the mishap, sustained injuries but recovered later.

I, Baldwin, was indicted with involuntary manslaughter allegations concerning Hutchins’ demise in January 2023. However, come April, I secured a legal triumph. The prosecution added a firearm-enhancement statute to my case, which didn’t exist during Hutchins’ passing. If convicted, this addition would have prolonged my potential prison term. My defense team successfully argued its inadmissibility.

Nine months had passed when Baldwin once more encountered legal troubles. A New Mexico Grand Jury brought charges against him for one count of involuntary manslaughter, relating to Hutchins’ unfortunate death due to the shooting.

In February, Baldwin entered a plea of not guilty after being accused of firing the gun, which he previously stated he did not pull the trigger on.

Before Baldwin’s trial, Gutierrez-Reed had been given a prison sentence of 18 months. A notice of appeal was filed on his behalf by his attorneys in May, as indicated by the court documents examined by TopMob News.

Last year marked the completion of filming for the movie “Rust”. Notably, Matthew Hutchins, Hutchins’ spouse, took on the role of an executive producer during this phase. Additionally, Bianca Cline came aboard to assume the duties as the new cinematographer once production had ended. Baldwin expressed his awe over the project post-production wrap-up, labeling it nothing short of a miracle.

In his Instagram post from May 2023, he expressed, “This journey has been lengthy and challenging. Yet, we’ve made it to our destination today.”

Keep reading for all the notable moments from Baldwin’s trial…

At the beginning of the trial on July 10, the jury watched a video of Alec Baldwin rehearsing the scene where he pulled out a gun in an old church on the Bonanza Creek Ranch film set. This was presented as part of the opening statements.

He’s practicing drawing his gun from behind his jacket three times. He hears someone say, “Go ahead and draw it then.”

In his opening statement, defense attorney Alex Spiro stressed that his client, who is an actor, bore no responsibility for the death of Halyna Hutchins, even if it was proven that he pulled the trigger of the gun – a claim repeatedly denied by Baldwin.

“Spiro stated that he had no information and no reason to believe that the bullet in the gun was live.”

Spiro listened to the 911 call placed by a script supervisor following Hutchins’ shooting, which occurred at 1:46 p.m. on October 21, 2021.

The advertisement that irritably demanded revisions from me during lunch hours was described by the caller as “this individual,” adding, “it’s their fault.”

David Halls, the first assistant director, received a sentence of six months’ probation without supervision in March 2023 following his no contest plea for a misdemeanor offense involving the negligent handling of a dangerous weapon.

Investigators determined that Halls and production armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed were the last people to handle the gun that discharged the fatal bullet before it was given to Baldwin.

In March, a court determined that Gutierrez was responsible for involuntary manslaughter and imposed a maximum sentence of 18 months in prison. This is the same potential penalty Baldwin would face if found guilty.

During Spiro’s initial presentation, the authorities voiced numerous concerns. Among their remarks was a challenge to his statement that it is inherent in human nature to attempt to understand a calamity and seek retribution as part of the grieving process.

In Spiro’s words, “Justice equals truth,” he asserted. It’s a heart-wrenching situation. Alec Baldwin, according to him, didn’t break any laws.

Testimony commenced on July 10 with prosecution witness Nicholas LeFleur, who is an officer with the Santa Fe Police Department but was employed by the sheriff’s office at the time of the incident. He was among the first responders to arrive at Bonanza Creek Ranch following the shooting of Hutchins.

During the heated debates in the pretrial hearings, the jury was shown footage from LeFleur’s body camera, which captured tense moments following Hutchins being wounded. Initially, this occurred within the confines of the church before she was transferred into an ambulance for additional medical attention. The crew remained present as they anticipated the arrival of a helicopter to transport her to the hospital.

According to LeFleur’s testimony, he went to retrieve crime scene tape from his car (as depicted in the body-camera video) to establish a boundary around the scene. However, he couldn’t recall whether this action was prompted by a request or if it was an automatic response.

“I knew we needed to start one,” he said.

In the footage, Baldwin, who was smoking a cigarette, didn’t get taken aside by authorities prior to giving his statement, according to LeFleur. However, I advised him to be quiet at that point.

During questioning in court, LeFleur admitted that he weren’t certain if a crime or an accident had taken place before he placed the tape up.

During cross-examination, LeFleur admitted that while he had testified for the prosecution that he instructed Baldwin not to converse with other witnesses, he hadn’t actually approached or repeated this instruction to the actor. Furthermore, LeFleur affirmed that it was more common for people to approach Baldwin rather than the other way around.

Additionally, Spiro argued that there were many police cars present at the scene and Baldwin could have been instructed to occupy any one of them for separation. However, none of the officers requested this from him according to LeFleur’s observation.

As an obsessed fan of true crime stories, I can’t help but share this intriguing detail: During the search of the Rust set following the shooting incident, I, Marissa Poppell from Santa Fe Sherriff’s Office, personally discovered live bullets among the supposedly dead ones. What a fascinating find that adds another layer to the investigation!

During Spiro’s questioning, it was admitted that there were real bullets among the props, specifically in a munition box and in the gun holsters of two actors. In the courtroom display, the authentic ammunition could be distinguished by the silver dot at the base, whereas the dummy rounds appeared more golden or bronze in color.

“Based on your analysis of the ammunition and observing the resemblance between Starline nickel live rounds and Starline nickel dummy rounds, you propose a possible explanation: they might have been mistakenly mixed up in that location?”

She said yes. Added Spiro? “In other words, somebody could have mistaken one for the other, right?”

Poppell replied, “Yes.”

As an avid follower of this intriguing case, I can share that, based on Poppell’s July 10 testimony, it was she who retrieved Baldwin’s shoulder holster from the church following the shooting incident. This holster contained a solitary live bullet.

During the lunch break of the jury trial in the First Judicial District Court, Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer granted permission for the prosecution to present a segment of a call between Alec Baldwin and his wife Hilaria Baldwin, made from the police station following the shooting incident involving Hutchins. In this conversation, Baldwin urged Hilaria to come to New Mexico, assuring her they would “enjoy themselves.”

As a dedicated follower of this intriguing case, I can tell you that when Baldwin placed the call, he sadly remained unaware of Hutchins’ demise. However, he was fully conscious of her grave condition, as emphatically stated by special prosecutor Kari Morrissey during the trial proceedings.

If the defense hadn’t devoted so much time to describing his state of panic and agitation, Morrissey remarked, it might not matter, but apparently, he was making preparations for a getaway instead.

The judge acknowledged our concerns regarding various objections raised by us. However, in response to your repeated emphasis on Baldwin’s emotional state, I believe it holds significance in understanding the outcome of this case.

At the cross examination under Spiro, Poppell refused to disclose withheld evidence in the form of a box of bullets obtained from a good Samaritan following the Gutierrez trial. She neither incorporated this evidence into the overall Rust-related collection nor shared it with the defense team. Instead, she asserted that she had never provided any evidence to them.

Morrissey revealed that the individual who provided Poppell with the explosives was a friend of Gutierrez’s father, renowned Hollywood armorer Thell Reed. The prosecution implied this person aimed to implicate Seth Kenney, the gun supplier for “Rust,” in bringing live ammunition to the film set.

During her redirection, Poppell testified that she didn’t find any proof that Kenney carried live ammunition to the scene, but she did discover some evidence implicating Gutierrez instead.

Jason Bowles, lawyer for Gutierrez, expressed astonishment to NBC News over the fact that the bullets in dispute hadn’t been compared to other bullets discovered on the Rust set.

“Bowles stated that they had concealed the ball until confronted during the trial. To uncover the facts fully, one must pursue every possible lead.”

On the morning of July 12, the jury had just taken their seats in court when Judge Sommer dismissed them for the day due to the defense’s claim that the state had concealed crucial evidence.

According to Poppell’s testimony, he received a package containing ammunition from ex-Arizona cop Troy Teske – a friend of Gutierrez’s father who was earlier referred to as a “good Samaritan” but has since been identified in court – following Gutierrez’s conviction for involuntary manslaughter in March, which was connected to Hutchins’ death.

As a devoted admirer of Poppell’s investigation methods, I can’t help but ponder over a curious detail from her past interrogation of Spiro. He had raised an intriguing question: why hadn’t she included the box containing crucial evidence related to the Rust case among the other pieces presented?

This morning, prior to the jury’s arrival, Poppell once more asserted that he hadn’t deliberately concealed anything. He explained to Spiro that he had been directed to file the box using a different case number, which is why he complied with the instruction.

The defense claims that both Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office and the state intentionally kept Baldwin uninformed about the existence of evidence suggesting that the live bullet used in the filming came from Seth Kenney.

During the afternoon recess, the prosecution summoned Kenney, the proprietor of PDQ Props who was contracted for supplying the film “Rust” with authentic-looking prop firearms and blank ammunition, to give testimony in a closed session, following the defense’s petition.

Kenney testified that after providing over a thousand sets with decoy bullets, he was completely certain that he could have used real ammunition instead.

Morrissey called the defense’s attempt to blame Kenney “a wild goose chase.”

Morrissey volunteered to testify about her involvement, or lack thereof, regarding the missing box of ammunition in the Rust case, which Teske had provided but was excluded from the evidence presented in court.

In her testimony, she stated that Jason Bowles, attorney for Gutierrez, was informed that Teske intended to provide him with the contested ammunition. Upon being shown a photograph of the questionable rounds by Bowles, she found them visually distinct from the live rounds discovered on the Rust set.

As an avid fan of Morrissey’s, I can tell you that Bowles shared with him that he wouldn’t be required as a witness in the case. Moreover, she mentioned that once Teske delivered the rounds to the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office, then-Detective (now Corporal) Hancock informed her they would be added to the evidence.

Morrissey testified she had “no idea” it wouldn’t be filed under the Rust case number.

As a dedicated follower of the proceedings, I can assure you that the rounds Teske provided would not have harmed the state’s argument. Instead, it would have been the ideal evidence I could have wished for.

In simpler terms, Judge Sommer permanently declined to pursue the case against Baldwin any further, so it cannot be brought up again.

As a diligent supporter of the defense’s argument that the state failed to share crucial evidence, I concur with the judge’s decision that dismissing the case is the most appropriate consequence.

I felt a lump form in my throat and tears welled up as I realized the power that Sommer held during the trial. Hilaria and I shared this emotional response. Every day of the proceedings, we were there, united with Stephen Baldwin, her brother-in-law, providing unwavering support.

2024-07-14 17:55

Alec Baldwin’s Rust Shooting Trial Dismissed With Prejudice

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