How Alec Baldwin’s Trial Went Off the Rails

As a seasoned cinephile with decades of immersion in the film industry, I have witnessed my fair share of legal battles surrounding productions. The ongoing case of Alec Baldwin’s Santa Fe manslaughter trial has undeniably piqued my interest due to its complexities and potential implications for film production safety as a whole.

On July 12, 2023, the manslaughter trial against Alec Baldwin in Santa Fe entered murky waters as his legal team petitioned the judge to dismiss the case due to the alleged concealment of crucial evidence by authorities. Halyna Hutchins, the cinematographer on the film “Rust,” was fatally shot and Baldwin is charged with involuntary manslaughter in her death. The defense asserts that critical information regarding how live rounds found their way onto the set was kept hidden from them. This nondisclosure led to the case being thrown out with finality by the judge.

On July 11, during Marissa Poppell’s cross-examination as a crime-scene tech, a significant disclosure emerged. This information was further elaborated upon in a subsequent motion to dismiss. Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer scheduled a hearing regarding Baldwin’s push to dismiss. First to testify was Seth Kenney, who supplied guns, dummy rounds, and blanks for the production. However, when law enforcement officials involved in the Baldwin case took the stand, things turned unfavorable for prosecutors. The lead cop admitted that she and the prosecution had agreed to move this crucial evidence to a different file, a decision the defense argues was an attempt to conceal it.

In their motion, Baldwin’s lawyers contended that the Santa Fe Sheriff’s Office and prosecutors failed to disclose that the live bullet used in the fatal shooting came from Kenney. The skilled legal team then presented a startling sequence of events: A retired Arizona police officer named Troy Teske had given ammunition to Poppell, and according to Baldwin’s lawyers, the kind of ammo matched the bullet that killed Hutchins. Teske handed over the ammunition following Hannah Gutierrez-Reed’s involuntary manslaughter conviction on March 6, 2024.

Based on the defense’s argument, I understand that Teske had been in possession of distinctive ammunition related to the “Rust” film set for a significant period. During a police interrogation on November 1, 2021, Kenney reached out to Teske – a mutual friend of Gutierrez-Reed’s father, renowned armorer Thell Reed. Following this encounter, Teske forwarded authorities a photograph of the discrepant ammunition. Later that day, during an interview with Teske, a prosecutor inquired about providing ammunition from a previous batch used by Kenney. Teske agreed to hand it over, but the authorities failed to follow up on collecting it. In simpler terms, I can say that, according to the defense’s claim, Teske had information about unique ammunition linked to the “Rust” set for years. During a police interview on November 1, 2021, Kenney contacted Teske – a friend of Gutierrez-Reed’s father and Thell Reed. After their conversation, Teske shared a photo of this distinct ammunition with the authorities. Later that day, during an interrogation, a prosecutor asked Teske to provide ammunition from a batch previously used by Kenney. Teske consented, but no action was taken by the authorities to collect it.

I understand the complexity of the situation now: According to the defense, my supervisor at the Sheriff’s Office instructed me to record the ammunition usage under a different case file to keep it hidden from the defense. Surprisingly, the Sheriff’s Office failed to disclose these rounds as required by law, even after being asked to provide all ballistics evidence by Baldwin’s legal team. To add fuel to the fire, there was also an undisclosed report about the rounds that the defense referred to as a “cover-up” in their motion.

“The motion noted that Baldwin didn’t know live ammunition was present at the filming of ‘Rust’. The prosecution aims to prove Baldwin should have been aware of this danger by showing a connection between him and the person who brought the live bullets. Their argument is that since Baldwin was supposed to be informed about the armorer’s inexperience, it’s possible she introduced live rounds to the set.”

The discovery of live rounds that could link Kenney to the incident is beneficial to Baldwin since the State concealed this information. Not only did they fail to share this evidence, but they also mislabeled the file it was kept in, which has no connection to the Rust case. Additionally, they withheld the sole document that would have notified Baldwin about the existence of this evidence.

During Kenney’s testimony at the hearing, he emphasized that he had safely handled tens of thousands of dummy rounds throughout his career without any issues. He made it clear that the live ammunition found on set was not something he had supplied. “I was absolutely certain that I did not give the live bullets to ‘Rust,'” he stated.

During questioning about how law enforcement handled Teske’s disclosure in the Rust investigation, Alexandria Hancock, the investigation leader, faltered repeatedly. In an unexpected admission, Hancock revealed that she, other police officers, and prosecutors collectively decided to place this crucial information in a separate file.

The judge asked: “Was Ms. Morrissey part of that?”

Hancock answered yes.

In an unexpected move, Morrissey personally appeared at the hearing and spoke out during her testimony. She acknowledged being aware of Teske’s disclosure but argued that moving the ammunition to a different file was not a malicious act. “I didn’t realize it wouldn’t have the same file number,” she explained.

During cross-examination by lawyer Alex Spiro representing Baldwin, Morrissey stated regarding the filing matter, “I’m not a law enforcement officer nor do I work at the sheriff’s department.” Spiro then questioned Morrissey about her opinions on Baldwin. “Did you call him a contemptible man?” Spiro inquired, alluding to an alleged remark to a witness. Morrissey denied making such a comment and requested more details. “And during a witness interview, did you label him an arrogant jerk?” Spiro persisted. Morrissey again replied that she couldn’t recall making such a statement.

Based on my personal perspective and experiences, I believe Morrissey’s response was sincere and genuine. As someone who has always appreciated honesty and transparency, his words struck a chord with me. It’s not uncommon for people to have complex feelings towards individuals they may disagree with or have had past conflicts with. In this instance, Morrissey made it clear that he holds respect for Baldwin’s acting abilities, past work on SNL, and political views. His statement serves as a reminder that people can hold differing opinions or have had past disagreements but still acknowledge the positive qualities of one another. It takes maturity and self-awareness to express such sentiments, and I commend Morrissey for doing so in an open and authentic manner.

Prosecutors argued that Hutchins’s death was caused by Baldwin’s carelessness, asserting that he disregarded basic firearm safety rules by pointing the gun at her and pulling the trigger. In contrast, Baldwin’s lawyers maintained that the actor had been assured the gun was safe – a “cold gun” without live ammunition – and that his actions were standard film industry practice. The defense frequently brought up concerns regarding the evidence, claiming it had been destroyed during police examination, rendering it impossible to assess if there was a malfunction. They also accused authorities of prioritizing arresting Baldwin over thoroughly investigating the accident. Following the presentation of evidence, Judge Sommer sided with the defense on Friday, granting Baldwin his freedom.

2024-07-22 19:16

How Alec Baldwin’s Trial Went Off the Rails

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