Bloodstained clothing, script used in fatal ‘rust’ shots
Blood-stained evidence from the “Rust” set surfaced Thursday during the second day of Alec Baldwin’s involuntary manslaughter trial.
July 11, 2024, published at 8:00 PM ET
During the second day of Alec Baldwin‘s involuntary manslaughter trial in New Mexico, crime scene technician Marissa Poppell testified about the evidence she collected on set Rust after cameraman Halyna Hutchins was fatally shot and director Joel Souza got injured.
Crime scene photos from the filed case were obtained exclusively by RadarOnline.com show the weapon and blood-soaked objects discovered in the makeshift wooden church in Santa Fe where tragedy struck during a scene rehearsal on October 21, 2021.
Article continues below advertisement
Baldwin was photographed at the scene of the shooting, still in costume from the rehearsal.
Much of the evidence we received after filing a Freedom of Information request with law enforcement is expected to be introduced in the trial.
On Thursday, Poppell testified at length in court about the Colt .45 prop pistol Baldwin was holding that fired a live bullet instead of a dummy bullet, leaving Hutchins to bleed on the ground. The projectile that tore through her chest then lodged in Souza’s shoulder.
Poppell said that both dummy bullets and live bullets were found in different locations on the set, and that she found it almost impossible to distinguish between the two just by looking at them.
Article continues below advertisement
The Colt .45 revolver Baldwin was holding during the scene rehearsal unexpectedly fired a live bullet, killing Halyna Hutchins and wounding Joel Souza.
Article continues below advertisement
The technician agreed when Baldwin’s lawyer… Alex Spirosaid that when collecting bullets, she “wasn’t sure if they were live or dummies.”
“You’ve submitted a number of rounds to the FBI to find out,” the lawyer added, to which Poppell replied, “Right.”
At the church, she said one was passed around “in Mr. Baldwin’s holster” and the other in a box of ammunition “from which the firearm was drawn at that time.”
Article continues below advertisement
She was also asked about blood-stained items such as Baldwin’s costume, the clothing worn by the injured crew members and scripts from the scene rehearsal – all of which can be seen in the evidence photos. Some particularly chilling footage shows where emergency medical officials had to cut open Hutchins’ blood-soaked shirt to treat her fatal wounds.
However, what complicated matters for investigators was that the crime scene was also splattered with fake blood. Poppell told the court that the FBI needed to conduct further analysis to determine which items actually contained blood.
Article continues below advertisement
A crime scene technician confirmed in court Thursday that Baldwin’s clothing was covered in fake “movie blood.”
Article continues below advertisement
When Spiro said, “Mr. Baldwin’s clothes were red and you tested it for blood and it turned out to be movie blood, right?” Poppell replied, “Yes.”
It was unclear whether a script with a blue sticky note reading “ALEC” was splattered with real or fake blood, but the document highlighted the eerie parallels between the Western film’s plot and the now infamous on-set shooting.
MORE:
Alec Baldwin
Article continues below advertisement
Scripts collected from the scene reveal the uncanny similarities between the film’s plot and the on-set shooting.
Article continues below advertisement
“When you shot this, you thought it was important because you thought it reflected what would have happened in the scene,” the attorney told Poppell of the scripts.
Written and directed by Souza, the film is set in the 1880s and stars Baldwin as outlaw Harland Rust. The plot follows Rust’s 13-year-old grandson, Lucas Hollister, as he is sentenced to hang for accidentally killing a farmer, and the pair go on the run together.
While Souza was in the hospital, as exclusively reported by RadarOnline.com, he told an officer that when he was hit by the bullet, the crew was “rehearsing a scene in the church where there would be a gunfight between three characters.”
Article continues below advertisement
Evidence photos show where emergency medical officials had to cut open Halyna Hutchins’ shirt to treat her wounds.
Article continues below advertisement
The script photographed by investigators shows that the scene is supposed to include a confrontation between Rust and his arch-enemy, U.S. Marshal Wood Helm. In the scene, Wood “rolls over, tries to get up, and clutches an injured shoulder,” while Baldwin’s character shoots the infamous Colt .45. holds, according to the documents.
Rust, who is also apparently injured in the sequence, tells his grandson’s marshal, “He’s not a murderer.”
“So I think I’m going to take this out, pull it and say, ‘Bang!’” Baldwin reportedly said before the gun went off unexpectedly during the rehearsal.
Article continues below advertisement
The incident took place during a rehearsal in a makeshift wooden church in Santa Fe.
Article continues below advertisement
Production was suspended after the horrific incident, and Baldwin claims he never actually pulled the trigger on the gun.
He has denied pleading guilty to the involuntary manslaughter charge. The gunsmith of the film, Hannah Gutierrez-Reedwas convicted of involuntary manslaughter during her process about Hutchins’ death in March, and she had been convicted up to 18 months behind bars.
