Alec Baldwin trial: Defense questions police investigation
According to the lawyer, the police did not investigate thoroughly enough and for instance never found out how sharp ammunition, which was banned on set, got to the Western "Rust" set. Instead of investigating the "source of the fatal bullet," the investigators focused on Mr. Baldwin, criticized Spiro.
Poppel dismissed the accusation. The Police had meticulously opened every single box of ammunition at the crime scene as well as at Seth Kenney's weapons supplier's premises, testified she. However, she finally admitted under persistent questioning from Spiro that the investigation had been of "sufficient" quality.
Apart from the bullet that killed the 42-year-old camera operator Halyna Hutchins during the incident in October 2021, further sharp ammunition was found in the prop truck as well as in Baldwin's and another actor's magazine pouches, according to the police expert. In her opinion, many things pointed to the fact that the ammunition had come from the film's armorer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed. This was never definitively proven.
Gutierrez-Reed was sentenced to 18 months in prison in April for involuntary manslaughter. A similar maximum sentence threatens Baldwin, who is charged with involuntary manslaughter.
The camera operator was killed by a bullet from a revolver held by Baldwin. The same bullet injured the director Joel Souza. The 66-year-old Baldwin maintains his innocence and insists he did not pull the trigger. The trial is expected to be concluded around the coming Friday, followed by the deliberations of the jury.
- Despite Alex Spiro's criticism, the defense argued that the police did not conduct thorough investigations, specifically failing to determine the source of the sharp ammunition that was banned on set, which was later linked to Hannah Gutierrez-Reed.
- Under persistent questioning from Alex Spiro,Poppel, a police officer, admitted that the investigation into the "Rust" set incident was of "sufficient" quality, but did not meet the high standards set by the defense.
- The lawyer for Alec Baldwin, Alex Spiro, disputed the police's focus on Baldwin as the primary suspect, instead pointing towards the possibility that the fault lies with the film's armorer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, who was later sentenced for involuntary manslaughter.
- Under the defense's argument, the police investigations failed to definitively establish that the sharp ammunition that led to the fatal shooting on the "Rust" set actually came from Gutierrez-Reed's possession, leaving key aspects of the case unresolved.
- Despite Baldwin's insistence of innocence and claim that he did not pull the trigger, the trial is ongoing, with the defense continuing to argue that the police investigations were not properly conducted and that the source of the sharp ammunition remains unclear.
