Alec Baldwin was standing trial for the involuntary manslaughter of Halyna Hutchins in October 2021. The actor was on the set of the movie “Rust” when the prop gun he was holding fired a live round, killing the cinematographer and injuring director Joel Souza. Baldwin has maintained that he did not squeeze the trigger before the gun fired. Still, the prosecution argued that he was behaving recklessly. “When someone plays make-believe with a real gun in a real-life workplace and while playing make-believe with that gun, violates the cardinal rules of firearm safety, people’s lives are endangered, and someone could be killed,” prosecutor Erlinda Johnson insisted (via The Telegraph).
The defense team’s claim that evidence was suppressed directly affects Hannah Reed’s conviction. Prosecutors insist that Reed, who was the film’s armorer, was the source of the live ammo. However, the bullets that were handed over to the sheriff’s office throw doubt on their claim. The Colt .45 munitions match the bullet that killed Hutchins and are purported to have come from the movie’s prop supplier, Seth Kenney, not Reed.
Reed’s attorneys leaped into action following news of Baldwin’s verdict. “The judge found intentional misconduct, and we also have had the same failures in Hannah’s case by the State. We will be moving for dismissal of Hannah’s case,” Jason Bowles announced (via The Independent).
