‘Rust’ Trial Gets Heated as Defense Faults Incomplete Sheriff’s Investigation
29.02.2024 - 01:57
/ variety.com
Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer SANTA FE, N.M. — The “Rust” trial boiled over in hostile bickering between the prosecution and the defense on Wednesday, after the defense poked several holes in the Sheriff’s investigation. Hannah Gutierrez Reed, the film’s armorer, is on trial for involuntary manslaughter in the October 2021 death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.
The prosecution has argued that Gutierrez Reed unwittingly brought live ammunition on set. Cpl. Alexandra Hancock, the lead investigator on the case for the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office, testified Wednesday that there is no “direct” evidence of that theory — only circumstantial evidence.
In his opening statement, prosecutor Jason Lewis argued that photos show that Gutierrez Reed had the live rounds on set as early as Oct. 10 — 11 days before the shooting — and failed to notice them. But on cross-examination, Hancock agreed that she had “no idea” when the live rounds came on set.
“You have no idea if they appeared on Day 1 or Day 11?” asked defense attorney Jason Bowles. “Correct,” Hancock said. Bowles also questioned why the Sheriff’s Office did not do a more thorough investigation to determine where the live rounds came from.
Among other things, detectives never talked to Joe Swanson, the dummy manufacturer whose initials — JS — appeared on the side of the dummy box found on set. Hancock testified that the investigation was more focused on the shooting itself, rather than tracking down the source of the bullets. “Really what’s important to law enforcement were the circumstances of what occurred that day, and the facts and the evidence of what occurred during the incident,” she said.
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