SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Alec Baldwin ’s involuntary manslaughter trial in New Mexico was paused on Friday as the judge considers a defense motion to dismiss the case due to disputed ammunition evidence.
Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer sent the jury home and scheduled a hearing for Monday to further investigate the issue raised by the defense, which prompted additional testimony without the jurors present.
The defense claimed that prosecutors withheld evidence relating to the ammunition that could be linked to the shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins during the filming of “Rust” in 2021.
The prosecution countered by stating that the ammunition was unrelated to the case and was not concealed.
The issue arose during the second day of the trial while defense questioning of sheriff’s crime scene technician Marissa Poppell. Baldwin’s lawyer, Alex Spiro, insinuated through his questions that Poppell and other authorities had a close relationship with the film’s firearms supplier, Seth Kenney, and had not thoroughly investigated his potential involvement in live bullets being present on set.
Special prosecutor Kari Morrissey revealed in her questioning that the source of the ammunition was Troy Teske, a friend of the armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed’s father, who has already been convicted of involuntary manslaughter in Hutchins’ death. Gutierrez-Reed received an 18-month prison sentence and is currently appealing her conviction.
Morrissey clarified that the bullets found were different in size and chemical composition from the live rounds discovered on the “Rust” set, including the one that caused Hutchins’ death.
Dalton reported from Los Angeles.
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