What to know about grand jury evidence on actor Alec Baldwin and the 2021 fatal film set shooting
Prosecutors are preparing to present evidence to a grand jury against in the fatal 2021 shooting of a cinematographer on the set of a Western movie in New Mexico.
A grand jury did not take up the case Thursday and a decision on whether to revive criminal charges against Baldwin still could be weeks away. It's a secretive process without public access, as prosecutors present evidence and witnesses possibly testify without a cross-examination or immediate vetting by defense counsel.
Baldwin, lead actor and co-producer of 바카라 게임 웹사이트Rust,바카라 게임 웹사이트 was pointing a gun at during a rehearsal on a movie set outside Santa Fe in October 2021 when the gun went off, killing her and wounding director Joel Souza. Baldwin has said he pulled back the hammer 바카라 게임 웹사이트 but not the trigger 바카라 게임 웹사이트 and the gun fired.
Special prosecutors initially dismissed an involuntary manslaughter charge against Baldwin in April, saying they were informed the gun might have been modified before the shooting and malfunctioned. They later pivoted after receiving a new analysis of the gun and will ask a grand jury to consider recharging Baldwin.
Here are some of the recent developments.
SUBPOENAED EVIDENCE
Special prosecutors are not only marshaling evidence against Baldwin for the grand jury to consider, but also actively preparing for a scheduled February 2024 trial against 바카라 게임 웹사이트Rust바카라 게임 웹사이트 movie armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, who has pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter and evidence tampering in the case.
Those preparations for trial include recent subpoenas for documents from producers of 바카라 게임 웹사이트Rust,바카라 게임 웹사이트 and any audio and video recordings held by a Los Angeles film production company that might include Baldwin on the set of 바카라 게임 웹사이트Rust바카라 게임 웹사이트 or his comments about the film elsewhere.
Neama Rahmani, a former federal prosecutor in Southern California and currently president of West Coast Trial Lawyers, says documents or records uncovered in the case against Gutierrez-Reed can be repurposed.
바카라 게임 웹사이트These can absolutely be used against Baldwin,바카라 게임 웹사이트 he said.
UNRELEASED VIDEOS
Several previously unreleased video clips of Baldwin on the set of 바카라 게임 웹사이트Rust,바카라 게임 웹사이트 prior to the fatal shooting, emerged Wednesday on NBC 온라인 바카라 게임, without indicating who provided the footage. They show Baldwin firing a prop gun outdoors in the desert and voicing concerns about safety.
바카라 게임 웹사이트You want to go on the other side of the camera? I don't want to shoot toward you,바카라 게임 웹사이트 he says in one clip.
Rahmani says he's seen nothing that would shift core arguments by prosecutors against Baldwin.
바카라 게임 웹사이트I don바카라 게임 웹사이트t see how any of this is new evidence. It isn바카라 게임 웹사이트t,바카라 게임 웹사이트 Rahmani said. 바카라 게임 웹사이트Their theory in the case is going to be that Baldwin pulled the trigger, even though he said he didn't. .... You should never point even a gun at another human being and pull the trigger, even if you believe it contains blanks. That바카라 게임 웹사이트s their theory of the case. This video doesn바카라 게임 웹사이트t change any of that.바카라 게임 웹사이트
GUN ANALYSIS
Experts in ballistics and forensic testing based in Arizona and New Mexico relied on replacement parts to reassemble the gun fired by Baldwin 바카라 게임 웹사이트 after parts of the pistol were broken during earlier testing by the FBI. Their report examined the gun and markings it left on a spent cartridge to conclude that the trigger had to have been pulled or depressed.
The analysis led by Lucien Haag of Forensic Science Services in Arizona stated that although Baldwin repeatedly denied pulling the trigger, 바카라 게임 웹사이트given the tests, findings and observations reported here, the trigger had to be pulled or depressed sufficiently to release the fully cocked or retracted hammer of the evidence revolver.바카라 게임 웹사이트
An earlier FBI report on the agency바카라 게임 웹사이트s analysis of the gun found that, as is common with firearms of that design, it could go off without pulling the trigger if force was applied to an uncocked hammer 바카라 게임 웹사이트 such as by dropping the weapon.
The only way the testers could get it to fire was by striking the gun with a mallet while the hammer was down and resting on the cartridge, or by pulling the trigger while it was fully cocked. The gun eventually broke during testing.
NEXT STEPS
A grand jury could weigh whether there is 바카라 게임 웹사이트probable cause바카라 게임 웹사이트 to bring charges against Baldwin as the target of the investigation. To indict him, at least eight jurors out of 12 must endorse a probable cause finding. A case can바카라 게임 웹사이트t be brought twice before a grand jury on the same evidence, so if they don't proceed this time, a second grand jury is less likely.
New Mexico-based prosecutors Kari Morrissey and Jason Lewis say additional facts have come to light that they believe show Baldwin has criminal culpability in the death of Hutchins.
Attorneys for Baldwin say a terrible tragedy has turned into this misguided prosecution attempt and that they will answer any charges in court.
In March, David Halls, 바카라 게임 웹사이트Rust바카라 게임 웹사이트 assistant director and safety coordinator, and received a suspended sentence of six months of probation. He agreed to cooperate in the investigation of the shooting.