The trial of Alec Baldwin is due to witness “Rust” armorer on Friday

The trial of Alec Baldwin is due to witness "Rust" armorer on Friday
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In Alec Baldwin’s involuntary manslaughter trial, New Mexico prosecutors intend to call “Rust” armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed to the stand on Friday, according to NBC News, which was informed on Thursday by her attorney Jason Bowles.

Because of her involvement in the shooting death of the movie’s cinematographer, Halyna Hutchins, Reed is currently serving an 18-month sentence at the Western New Mexico Correctional Facility. The trial is being held in Santa Fe, where she has already been moved.

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The prosecution chose not to respond. If found guilty, Baldwin, the owner of the gun that fired the fatal bullet, may receive an 18-month term.

In a pre-trial interview in May, Gutierrez-Reed—who was in charge of supervising the weapons on the movie set—stated that she was not inclined to testify in Baldwin’s trial or assist with the prosecution.

It will be challenging for the former armorer to raise the Fifth Amendment in response to every inquiry, according to former New Mexico prosecutor Jennifer Burrill, who was interviewed by NBC News earlier this week.

“You cannot respond to every inquiry with the Fifth Blanket,” Burrill stated. “Yes, she may enter a fifth plea if the question is one that could affect her in the event that she receives a new trial.”

In March, Gutierrez-Reed was accused of tampering with evidence and involuntary manslaughter. On the later, she was found not guilty.

The prosecution plans to summon multiple witnesses who were present on the set at the time of the deadly shooting in Baldwin’s trial. Dave Halls, the assistant director who was sentenced to six months of unsupervised probation after entering a plea of not guilty to a misdemeanor charge of irresponsible use of a deadly weapon, is anticipated to testify.

Baldwin has stated in interviews that Halls declared the gun “cold,” indicating that the actor didn’t have any live bullets when it was given to him.

Baldwin’s attorneys brought up this point in their opening statement on Wednesday. They even showed a clip of the 911 call that day, in which the screenplay supervisor for the movie is heard criticizing Halls: “He’s supposed to check the guns.” What transpired is his fault!”

It remains to be seen if Baldwin will stand up for himself. When NBC News asked his legal team for a response, they did not reply.

It is anticipated that the trial will run eight days, with final arguments on July 19.

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