Alec Baldwin’s ‘Rust’ Case Was Dismissed. What Happens to the Armorer?

by

As a seasoned movie enthusiast who has followed the intricate web of events surrounding the tragic shooting incident on the set of “Rust”, I find myself both captivated and disheartened by the latest developments in this saga. The revelation that evidence crucial to the case was intentionally withheld or hidden, only to be unearthed at a later stage, has left me questioning the integrity of our legal system.

The trial for Alec Baldwin’s involuntary manslaughter charge was abruptly terminated in July following a sudden hearing about the handling of some bullets by police and prosecutors. This pertained to a former law enforcement officer handing over a stash of live ammunition to the Santa Fe Sheriff’s Office, some of which corresponded with the bullets discovered on the Rust set. Although the rounds were received, they weren’t properly catalogued in the evidence box, thereby concealing the proof from Baldwin.

The unforeseen finding of the ammunition has raised questions about whether armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, currently serving an 18-month sentence following the accidental shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, received a just trial. On Thursday, her legal team filed a motion to drop the case entirely or, in the alternative, request a new trial, citing what attorney Jason Bowles described as “one of the most egregious instances of ethical misconduct in New Mexico’s history.

Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer of Santa Fe is anticipated to make a decision within the coming week. If the prosecution’s case against Gutierrez-Reed isn’t dismissed, she may order his release from prison until another trial by jury takes place.

The armorer’s defense strategy primarily hinges on the court dismissal of Baldwin’s case, as it accused the prosecution of misconduct for deliberately concealing evidence from the defense. The lead special prosecutor, Kari Morrissey, was found to have consistently neglected fulfilling discovery obligations and offered inconsistent testimony concerning the ammunition given by a retired Arizona police officer, Troy Teske. It emerged that the rounds he supplied had Starline brass casings with silver primers, identical to the live bullet that caused Hutchins’ death.

At Thursday’s court hearing, Bowles contended that Gutierrez-Reed deserves a retrial due to the prosecution concealing evidence. He stated that if he had known about the spent rounds, he would have proposed a defense theory suggesting Seth Kenney, who supplied ammunition and weapons for the Rust film production, may have introduced live rounds onto the set. Bowles considered this a plausible scenario. “The jury should have been allowed to consider this possibility, but the prosecutors refused to even consider any defense theory, which is why they hid the evidence,” Bowles said.

The source of the live ammunition was a key focus of the investigation into the shooting. The prosecution, for years, has maintained that they likely came from Gutierrez-Reed. But when the new rounds were uncovered in Baldwin’s trial, his lawyers suggested that Kenney could’ve been responsible. Kenney came into possession of some of that ammunition from when he and longtime Hollywood armorer Thell Reed, Gutierrez-Reed’s father, were involved in a so-called “cowboy training camp” on the Paramount+ Western 1883 in which live ammunition was used for shooting practice. Teske held that ammunition for Reed, who stored some of his arms at the former law enforcement officer’s home. Kenney also brought some of those rounds back to PDQ Arm and Prop in New Mexico.

Morrissey stated that it was during the court hearing when Baldwin’s case was dropped that she first discovered Teske’s ammunition resembled those found on the Rust set. She expressed doubts about the authenticity of the evidence Teske, a long-term friend of Reed, presented. According to her, the rounds in his possession were determined not to be the source of those discovered on the set after Teske sent Kenney a photo of the ammunition he was holding for Reed. The photograph, she claimed, proved they didn’t match.

Teske stated he examined the bullets and didn’t discover any silver-colored primer casings,” Morrissey continued. “At this stage, it’s clear that the ammunition he has doesn’t seem to resemble the ones used on the set of Rust‘s production.

A month prior to Gutierrez-Reed’s trial, Bowles arrived at the same judgment that Teske’s rounds weren’t relevant and opted not to examine them. The prosecutor went on, stating, “He can’t show up in court now and claim we should have gathered these pieces of evidence.” She explained, “The data he provided led us to believe they were completely insignificant.

In response, Bowles stated that he didn’t wish to be responsible for the evidence chain of custody nor did he want any accusations suggesting his involvement in anything suspicious regarding those rounds. He further mentioned, “I thought mistakenly that the state would act fairly and test them. I never imagined, not even a million times, that the state would try to conceal those in a separate file under a different case number.

Moreover, Bowles proposed that Morrissey should not be allowed to serve as the lead prosecutor if a fresh trial is ordered due to her questionable conduct in court, including providing misleading testimony. He stated that her actions, which undermined the integrity of the judicial system, were particularly serious.

This summer, decisions will be made separately regarding whether Gutierrez-Reed deserves a retrial or if the charges against her can be dropped completely, and whether she should be freed from custody right away.

Read More

2024-09-26 22:26