![Alec Baldwin poses with gun and ammo in newly released Rust rehearsal video](https://theblast.prod.media.wordpress.mattersmedia.io/brand-img/123/0x0/2023/01/Alec_Baldwin_Rust_Charges_6-e1675113344417.jpg?)
One 'Rust' Juror Felt Alec Baldwin's Trial Was 'Harsh' And 'Pointless'
By Kristin Myers on July 24, 2024 at 3:15 PM EDT
Updated on July 24, 2024 at 3:16 PM EDT
Actor Alec Baldwin might not have needed to be as worried about his "Rust" trial as previously thought.
The 66-year-old actor was on trial for involuntary manslaughter in connection with the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. Armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed had already been found guilty and sentenced to 18 months behind bars earlier in the year.
However, Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer dismissed Baldwin's trial with prejudice on the third day after a crime scene tech disclosed that there was evidence that law enforcement and the prosecution did not turn over to the defense, which is known as a violation of the Brady rule.
One 'Rust' Juror Believes Prosecutors Were Trying To 'Pin' Halyna Hutchins' Death On Alec Baldwin
![Alec Baldwin sued by family of shot cinematographer Halyna Hutchins](https://theblast.prod.media.wordpress.mattersmedia.io/brand-img/123/0x0/2022/11/Halyna_Hutchins_Rust_Cinematographer-1-scaled.jpg?)
On October 21, 2021, a gun that Alec Baldwin was holding for a scene went off, fatally wounding Halyna Hutchins and hospitalizing director Joel Souza. To this day, it remains unclear how live ammunition ended up on the set of a Western film; however, the "30 Rock" actor has vehemently denied that he pulled the trigger.
In the defense's opening statements, lawyer Alex Spiro argued that it was not Baldwin's job, as an actor, to check the gun on set because he trusted the experts around him, like armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, to make sure that the gun was safe to handle. One juror, Martina Marquez, also known as Juror No. 1, felt that the trial against Baldwin was "pointless" and did not think that he should have been on trial at all.
'Rust' Juror Speaks Out On 'Pointless' Trial
![Police in the US have released video footage from the set of the film Rust, including of the aftermath of the fatal shooting of a cinematographer by actor Alec Baldwin. Halyna Hutchins, 42, was shot by Mr Baldwin while he rehearsed with what he believed to be a safe gun. Footage, which has no audio, released shows Baldwin dressed as a cowboy rehearsing with a gun ahead of the deadly shooting. He can be seen in stills from that video posing with the gun, and with ammo / ammunition on his costume in a scene set in a church. A clapper board with Ms Hutchins' name on it can also be seen. It's not known if the gun he is holding is the one that fired the deadly bullets. The actor, who was also a producer on the film, previously said he did not pull the trigger and had no idea how a live bullet came to be on the set near Santa Fe in the US state of New Mexico. The Santa Fe County sheriff’s office released a trove of documents released to the investigation this week. 26 Apr 2022 Pictured: Alec Baldwin seen in stills from video footage of Rust rehearsals released by investigators in the US. Photo credit: Santa Fe County Sheriff/MEGA TheMegaAgency.com +1 888 505 6342 (Mega Agency TagID: MEGA851467_005.jpg) [Photo via Mega Agency]](https://theblast.prod.media.wordpress.mattersmedia.io/brand-img/123/0x0/2023/01/Alec_Baldwin_Rust_Charges_2.jpg?)
Martina Marquez, an oncology scheduler from New Mexico, felt that she was "open-minded to listening to the facts" at the start of the trial. Marquez told People magazine that, during the first two days of court proceedings, she felt that the "case seemed to be mishandled from the get-go" and pointed to body camera footage worn by police officers in the moments following Hutchins' death.
“Just starting from the lapel cam videos, it didn't make sense how they could point fingers directly towards him as a whole,” she said. Body camera footage from Timoteo Benavidez, a lieutenant with the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office, showed the disorganization of law enforcement as they arrived on the set of the Western film to find Hutchins bleeding out on the floor of a church where the rehearsal had been taking place.
Juror Felt That The Investigation Into Hutchins' Death 'Didn't Make Sense'
![Alec Baldwin sits down with police for interview following Rust shooting](https://theblast.prod.media.wordpress.mattersmedia.io/brand-img/123/0x0/2023/01/Alec_Baldwin_Rust_Charges.jpg?)
According to the body camera footage, police officers who arrived on the scene could not find the gun that had fired the fatal shot. Eventually, the gun was handed to him by "Rust" armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed; however, it is unclear how she ended up with the gun when Baldwin was the one who had fired it.
Marquez said that "it didn't make sense," adding, “We all watch TV and we watch movies. You're not supposed to really touch evidence and move it from place to place. So that made me iffy about the situation because it could have been in so many people's hands by the time the lieutenant actually confiscated it.”
If she had to place the blame on anyone, Marquez blamed the 27-year-old armorer currently behind bars, stating, “I felt like she was liable for what happened.”
'Rust' Prosecutors Tried To Paint Alec Baldwin As A 'Reckless' Person
![Police release photos from the set of Rust after fatal shooting](https://theblast.prod.media.wordpress.mattersmedia.io/brand-img/123/0x0/2022/04/MEGA851477_034-scaled.jpg?)
During opening statements, special prosecutor Erlinda Johnson claimed that Baldwin was a "reckless" person who ignored gun safety protocols on set. However, Marquez felt that the incident was "an unfortunate accident" and felt that his indictment charge was "a little bit harsh."
"It didn't need to go this far. And it did seem pointless," Marquez added, noting that she and her fellow jurors followed court instructions and did not discuss the case amongst themselves. However, she did feel that they were "all on the same page."
'Rust' Juror Felt That Prosecutors 'Needed To Pin' Hutchins' Death On Alec Baldwin
![Police release photos from the set of Rust after fatal shooting](https://theblast.prod.media.wordpress.mattersmedia.io/brand-img/123/0x0/2022/04/MEGA851477_017-scaled.jpg?)
Marquez was also asked if the prosecution went after Alec Baldwin because he was a celebrity. “I do think they were,” she said. “I feel like they needed to pin [the death] on somebody.”
On July 20, two other jurors involved in the "Rust" case expressed their doubts about Baldwin's culpability in an interview with The New York Times.