THE ANGELS.- The court annulled the judgment of Alec Baldwin by homicide involuntary this Friday arguing suppression of evidence, in a surprising dramatic turn of the process that sought to clarify the actor’s responsibility in the tragedy that mourned the set of “Rust“.
The actor’s defense had filed a motion to request a mistrial arguing that the authorities “buried” evidence in the case, to which Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer agreed considering that the suppression of potentially key evidence tainted the process.
Baldwin’s Defense
The Hollywood star’s defense focused its efforts in the Santa Fe courtroom on raising doubts about how thorough the expert work was at Bonanza Creek Ranch, where the film was being shot when tragedy struck.
Hutchins, a rising star, was 42 when she died on October 21, 2021. Of Ukrainian origin, she was married and had one son.
Baldwin has repeatedly said he did not pull the trigger. But an FBI report, which tested the Colt .45 revolver, contradicts that account.
Prosecutors, who have characterized Baldwin as a powerful movie star who behaved irresponsibly and without due regard for the safety of others, said they will bring in the gun’s manufacturer, Alessandro Pietta, to support their case.
Spiro, a prestigious lawyer whose clients include Elon Musk and Jay-Z, maintains that Baldwin is innocent and that as an actor it was not his responsibility to check the contents of a gun during a studio performance.
During opening statements Wednesday, Spiro also appeared to backtrack on Baldwin’s initial assertion regarding the trigger.
“In a study, you have the right to pull the trigger… that doesn’t make him guilty of murder,” he said.
Also, yesterday – during the second day of the trial – it was revealed that a real bullet was found in the ammunition belt of another actor. Rust in investigations into the fatal shooting on the set of the film, a forensic expert said.
Baldwin was brandishing a Colt .45-caliber revolver during a tragic October 2021 rehearsal in New Mexico when the gun discharged a bullet that killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and wounded the director of the western film.
Source: AFP