SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — The lead detective in the capturing of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the movie “Rust” is probably going to be on the stand for many of Friday at Alec Baldwin ‘s involuntary manslaughter trial in New Mexico, as prosecutors strive to forged the film star as a reckless cavalier with a gun in his hand and the protection seeks to painting him as a working actor simply doing his job.
Cpl. Alexandria Hancock of the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office didn’t grow to be the chief investigator till two weeks after the October 2021 capturing, however she carried out the primary interviews of Baldwin, “Rust” armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed and assistant director David Halls, the three folks criminally charged in the case.
Hancock was on the stand briefly on the finish of the day Thursday and can proceed her direct examination by the prosecution Friday earlier than present process what’s seemingly to be an extended cross-examination by the protection as they appear to poke holes in an investigation they’ve urged unfairly targeted on Baldwin.
Before Hancock took the stand, Italian gunmaker Alessandro Pietta testified Thursday about high quality management in the manufacturing course of for the gun ultimately acquired by an Albuquerque-based gun and ammunition provider to “Rust” and dealt with by Baldwin in the deadly capturing. It was shipped in 2017, and Pietta final examined the gun in 2018 by way of a gross sales and distribution firm.
The provenance of the gun, and its use for a number of years in commerce reveals, is below the microscope as protection attorneys increase issues that the gun may need been modified or would possibly in any other case discharge below some circumstances with no set off pull.
Baldwin has claimed the gun fired by accident after he adopted directions to level it towards Hutchins, who was behind the digicam. Unaware that it was loaded with a reside spherical, he stated he pulled again the hammer — not the set off — and it fired.
Both Pietta and a gross sales distributor who dealt with the gun as just lately as September 2021 testified that the revolver was in good working order and had not been modified.
Pietta testified that the hammer on the gun will solely drop with a set off pull.
“If you want to release the hammer you have to pull the trigger,” he instructed the courtroom.
But Pietta additionally famous that commonplace observe is to solely load the gun — a remake of a nineteenth century revolver — with 5 rounds, and never six, to make sure the firing pin doesn’t relaxation on a reside spherical. Gun consultants together with an FBI forensic knowledgeable acknowledge that the revolver can discharge if stress is utilized to the hammer whereas resting on a reside spherical.
Before Hancock returns to the stand, Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer will contemplate hanging testimony from Thursday a couple of “good Samaritan” who walked right into a sheriff’s station with what he instructed authorities was the provision of ammunition that the bullet that killed Hutchins got here from, after the conviction early this yr of Gutierrez-Reed for involuntary manslaughter.
The concern got here up throughout protection questioning of sheriff’s crime scene technician Marissa Poppell. Baldwin lawyer Alex Spiro urged along with his questions that Poppell and different authorities had been overly cozy with the movie’s firearms provider Seth Kenney and had insufficiently investigated whether or not he was chargeable for the deadly ammunition reaching the set.
Spiro requested Poppell whether or not the “good Samaritan” had introduced the ammunition into the sheriff’s division, and she or he stated he had and she or he had written a report on it, denying that she had “buried it” to maintain it from the protection.
Spiro requested whether or not the person “told you you all had been duped by Seth Kenney.” Poppell stated she had no recollection of that.
The prosecution reacted with contempt for the suggestion that the person’s claims have been official.
Special prosecutor Kari Morrissey established in her questioning that the supply of the ammunition was Troy Teske, a pal of Gutierrez-Reed’s father with motivations to redirect the blame, and regardless of similarities the bullets weren’t the identical measurement because the reside rounds discovered on the “Rust” set, together with the one which killed Hutchins.
Morrissey sought to additional defend Kenney’s function in her questioning of Hancock.
“Did you ever discover any evidence throughout your entire investigation that Seth Kenney supplied live rounds to the set of ‘Rust?’” Morrissey requested. Hancock stated no.
Kenney has not been charged with any wrongdoing. An e-mail despatched to his lawyer looking for remark was not instantly returned.
Gutierrez-Reed’s lawyer stated they’ve been knowledgeable prosecutors will strive to name her to testify.
The lawyer, Jason Bowles, instructed The Associated Press in an e-mail that Gutierrez-Reed will assert her Fifth Amendment rights towards self-incrimination if she is called as a result of she has an attraction of her conviction pending.
The decide declined to grant a pretrial request from prosecutors to give Gutierrez-Reed immunity for her testimony.
She is serving an 18-month sentence, the identical penalty Baldwin faces if he’s convicted.
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Dalton reported from Los Angeles.
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