Alec Baldwin ‘Rust’ Trial Resumes With Gunmaker Called to Testify

Alec Baldwin’s manslaughter trial in New Mexico’s First Judicial District Court – about 20 miles (32 kilometers) northeast of where the movie “Rust” was filmed and where Halyna Hutchins was shot – is expected to last nine days.

Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer insists she will keep lawyers on track and on time.

A jury was selected on Tuesday and opening statements were presented on Wednesday.

The state’s first four witnesses testified Wednesday, but on Thursday, cross-examination of crime scene technician Marissa Poppell lasted most of the day.

The expected end date is the following Friday.

Once jurors receive the case, they can deliberate for as long as necessary.

Defense attorney Alex Spiro asked crime scene technician Marissa Poppell why it took a week to search the prop truck on the set of Rust.

The truck is where blank ammunition and dummy bullets were stored. Live ammunition was found on the flatbed, but none was found in the truck.

“We find these live bullets all over the board, right? They seem to be all over the place, with no real cohesion between where we find them,” Spiro said.

“And originally, they were stored in the truck. And so, a week later, you go to the prop truck, which has all the ammunition. And there’s not a single live round, right? Why did law enforcement wait a week to go to the prop truck?”

Poppell replied: “The search warrant had to be drafted.”

She added: “I don’t know exactly why this jet lag happened.”

He said a search warrant for the church on the plateau was written and filed the same day of the shooting. Poppell said the search warrant was issued the next day.

A piece of paper collected from the scene of the church shooting is on display.

There appear to be instructions on the paper and it reads: “The Rust Colt has now quietly cocked.”

Poppell testified on the stand that she photographed the document because she believed it was significant because it mentioned a gun.

Marissa Poppell testified on the stand that live ammunition was found mixed with dummy ammunition in a prop cart on the Rust set.

In photos presented in court, the live rounds appear to have a silver dot at the bottom of the casing rather than a dull orange hue.

“Your working theory, when you evaluated the ammunition and looked at the similarity between the live Starline nickels and the fake Starline nickels, is that they could have been easily mixed up there?” defense attorney Alex Spiro asked.

“Yes,” she replied.

“In other words, someone could have confused one with the other, couldn’t they?” he asked. She replied, “Yes.”

Spiro also questioned Poppell about the damage done by the state’s forensic analysis of the gun. The team had previously tried to have cases dismissed because it was unable to examine the gun.

“As far as the firearm, I think where you left off yesterday is that the firearm was ultimately destroyed in the testing there,” Spiro said.

“Not destroyed, but broken,” Poppell replied.

She then admitted that the gun could probably be repaired with replacement parts, but that it could not be restored to the condition it was in on the day of the shooting.

Court is back in session for the second day of Alec Baldwin’s manslaughter trial.

The prosecution’s fourth witness, crime scene technician Marissa Poppell, is back on the stand.

She is cross-examined by the defense.

Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the convicted gunsmith from the film “Rust,” is expected to testify Friday morning.

Gutierrez-Reed will be transported from jail to the courthouse Friday morning, attorney Jason Bowles confirmed to Court TV as court resumed Thursday.

Spectators gathered outside a Santa Fe courthouse this week for the start of Alec Baldwin’s high-profile trial.

While many were local, several others had come from out of town to attend the show.

Janelle Rogers, an Albuquerque resident who previously appeared on “Better Call Saul,” and a friend held signs that read: “Justice for Halyna” on one side and “Safety on set! It’s a must! No excuses!!” on the other side.

She criticized the film industry, saying: “There is no security on set.”

“Safety is a necessity on set, no matter who you are or where you are,” Rogers told the The New York Post.

“Halyna Hutchins should not have died.”

“I blame a lot of people for her death. There are multiple people. Just because you’re an actor or not a producer doesn’t mean you’re exempt,” Rogers said, adding that she believes her wife’s presence at the trial was a publicity stunt to promote their new reality TV show.

A Rio Rancher resident drove an hour from her home to attend the trial. She had been following the trial of gunsmith Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, who was sentenced to 18 months in prison after being convicted of involuntary manslaughter in March.

“I’ve been following the Gutierrez case,” Jarrell said. “I’m very happy it happened in my home state. I drove about an hour to be here.”

She advocates for stricter gun safety laws and justice for Hutchins.