The trial against Alec Baldwin for negligent homicide is underway. But his lawyers are again demanding that the case be dismissed. The judge will send the jury home early on Friday.
In the ongoing trial against Alec Baldwin for the negligent killing of a camerawoman, the Hollywood star’s lawyers have again requested that the case be dismissed. This action came as a surprise to the court in Santa Fe (New Mexico). Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer sent the jurors home shortly after the start of the trial day. They were not due to return until Monday for further testimony.
The trial, which has been ongoing since Tuesday, is about the question of whether the 66-year-old actor acted negligently when he fatally shot a camerawoman on the set of the 2021 western “Rust” and therefore has to go to prison. Lead actor Baldwin had pulled out a revolver during rehearsals, as requested by the director. But instead of harmless blanks, live ammunition went off. A bullet hit camerawoman Halyna Hutchins (42) and fatally injured her.
Defense attorneys criticize prosecutors
Baldwin’s lawyers are now claiming that the prosecution withheld important evidence in the case. It concerns a number of cartridges that surfaced a few months ago. According to the defense, they could shed light on the origin of the live ammunition on the set of the western. This question has not yet been clearly answered.
In a separate trial, gunsmith Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, who was responsible for gun safety during the filming of “Rust,” was already found guilty of negligent homicide. She had loaded the gun, which contained live ammunition. In April, she was sentenced to the maximum penalty of 18 months in prison.
Baldwin’s lawyers had already tried several times in the run-up to the trial to avert the proceedings against the actor. They accused the prosecution of, among other things, making procedural errors. However, the defense’s requests for a dismissal had failed every time.
Source: Stern
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