The judge in Alec Baldwin’s involuntary manslaughter trial is considering a motion from the defense to dismiss the case after the actor’s lawyers argued that the state improperly withheld evidence.Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the Rust armorer who was convicted of involuntary manslaughter earlier this year, was initially expected take the stand at Baldwin’s trial on Friday. But the proceedings took a dramatic turn as Baldwin’s defense team accused the state of concealing evidence that would have been favorable to the actor and asked Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer to throw out the case.The evidence consists of live rounds of ammunition turned over to New Mexico police in March that the defense argues call into question the source of the bullet that fatally struck cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. Baldwin is charged with involuntary manslaughter in the death of Hutchins, who was shot during rehearsals for the western when a gun the actor was holding fired.Gutierrez-Reed oversaw all weapons on set and was responsible for ensuring their safety.Prosecutors have long said evidence shows that Gutierrez-Reed was the source of the live round, but the defense said the state received evidence that suggested otherwise. A “good samaritan” came forward to police this year with a box of munitions that he claimed came from the prop supplier, Seth Kenney, and matched the ammunition that killed Hutchins, said Alex Spiro, Baldwin’s defense attorney, on Thursday.A report of the interview was not included with the other Rust evidence nor shared with the lawyer of Gutierrez-Reed and was instead filed under a number unrelated to the case, the defense said.Troy Teske, the man who came forward with the ammunition, is a friend of Gutierrez-Reed’s father, special prosecutor Kari Morrissey said. She denied the defense’s accusations, and said Baldwin’s team was aware of the evidence brought forward.Luke Nikas, one of Baldwin’s attorneys, said the report was relevant to the entire case and to the credibility of witnesses who testified in the trial.“If this evidence wasn’t as important as we say it is, they would have turned it over,” Nikas said.Morrissey, the special prosecutor, had said the state did not its obligations.“This is a wild goose chase,” she said. “This has no evidentiary value whatsoever.”skip past newsletter promotionGet the most important US headlines and highlights emailed direct to you every morningPrivacy Notice: Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. For more information see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.after newsletter promotionThe arguments on Friday morning appeared to stun the courtroom. Sommer asked that the prosecution bring forward the bullets turned over to police and to call the crime scene technician Marissa Poppell, who spoke to Teske and logged the evidence, and bring her back to the stand.Sommer briefly left the bench and put on gloves to examine the bullets alongside a crowd of lawyers for the prosecution and defense. Shortly after, she dismissed the jury for the day to allow the court to hear from witnesses regarding the motion.The development seemed to please Hilaria Baldwin, the actor’s wife, who could be seen smiling as she exited the courtroom.
Judge considers dismissing Alec Baldwin trial after lawyers argue state withheld evidence
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