Alec Baldwin ’s Santa Fe manslaughter trial veered into uncertain territory on Friday, July 12, when his lawyers asked the judge to toss the case over authorities’ alleged withholding of key evidence from the defense. Lawyers for Baldwin, who is charged with involuntary manslaughter in the death of Rust cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, claim that police didn’t disclose evidence that could explain how live bullets wound up on the movie’s set. This revelation came on July 11 during the cross-examination of crime-scene tech Marissa Poppell, and was detailed in a subsequent motion to dismiss.
Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer agreed to have a hearing about Baldwin’s push to dismiss; Seth Kenney, who provided guns, dummy rounds, and blanks to the production, was the first to testify. Before the hearing, Sommer sent the jury home, directing them to return on July 15. Baldwin’s lawyers argued in their motion that the Santa Fe Sheriff’s Office and prosecutors “concealed” that the live round came from Kenney.
The high-profile legal team then laid out a shocking chronology: Troy Teske, a retired police officer from Arizona, had “delivered a collection of live ammunition” to Poppell. Baldwin’s lawyers claim that the type of live ammunition matched “the live bullet that killed Hutchins.” Teske turned over the ammo after Rust armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter on March 6, 2024.
According to the defense’s motion, authorities kne.
