(NewsNation) — A crime scene technician with the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Department continued testifying at the involuntary manslaughter trial of actor Alec Baldwin on Thursday.
Baldwin is facing charges over the shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the film “Rust” in which he was starring and also a producer.
Hutchins’ death nearly three years ago shocked the film industry. During a rehearsal in October 2021, Baldwin was using a gun meant to be loaded with dummy rounds when he allegedly pointed it at the camera and fired. Hutchins was killed, while director Joel Souza was wounded.
Baldwin has maintained he did not pull the trigger on the weapon and that it was fired by accident. However, FBI analysts disputed this after examining the gun.
Crime scene technician Marissa Poppell physically recovered much of the evidence found at the Rust set and various places searched in New Mexico.
Defense attorney Alex Spiro, who’s representing Baldwin, asked Poppell about how she handled the gun and live rounds that were on set, but prosecution objected multiple times and there were sidebars with the judge.
Poppell’s questioning by the prosecution a day earlier allowed them to see in person the revolver and the spent round that killed Hutchins.
During the lunch break, while jurors were out of the courtroom, prosecutors met with the judge to go over evidence. At one point, Baldwin left the room but then returned.
The trial for Baldwin comes after “Rust’s” armorer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, was convicted for involuntary manslaughter. Attorneys for Gutierrez-Reed confirmed to NewsNation that she will be testifying Friday, but invoking her 5th Amendment right against self-incrimination.
Armorer already convicted on manslaughter charge
Gutierrez-Reed, who was responsible for keeping track of weapons used in “Rust,” is currently serving an 18-month prison sentence.
Prosecutors alleged she was negligent for not realizing live rounds had been mixed in with a box of dummy rounds. Lawyers for Gutierrez-Reed argued that she was scapegoated, pointing to safety concerns that went beyond their client. In addition, they said, Baldwin failed to pay attention to firearms safety briefings.
At sentencing, Gutierrez-Reed said she had tried to do her best on the set despite not having “proper time, resources and staffing.” She has since appealed her conviction.
The Association Press contributed to this report.