3 months ago
Prosecutors connected Thursday accused “Rust” armorer Hannah Gutierrez Reed of tampering pinch grounds by handing disconnected narcotics to different personification connected nan time of nan fatal shooting connected set.
Gutierrez Reed’s lawyer, Jason Bowles, said nan caller complaint came without anterior announcement aliases grounds to support it.
“Something is rotten successful Denmark,” Bowles said successful an email. “This stinks to precocious eden and is retaliatory and vindictive.”
Gutierrez Reed is already facing a complaint of involuntary manslaughter successful nan October 2021 decease of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.
The typical prosecutors assigned to nan lawsuit revenge an amended title adding nan further charge.
Also Thursday, Bowles revealed successful a tribunal filing that he had been accidentally copied connected an email from nan D.A.’s lead investigator, successful which nan interrogator disparaged nan Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office and its handling of nan “Rust” case.
“The behaviour of nan Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office during and aft their first investigation is reprehensible and unprofessional to a grade I still person nary words for,” wrote nan investigator, Robert Shilling. “Not I aliases 200 much proficient investigators than I can/could cleanable up nan messiness delivered to your
office successful October 2022 (1 twelvemonth since nan first incident…inexcusable).”
The “Rust” prosecution has been plagued by a bid of setbacks. The D.A.’s agency initially charged Alec Baldwin pinch involuntary manslaughter for accidentally firing nan gun, only to driblet nan complaint aft grounds surfaced that nan weapon whitethorn not person been functioning properly. The typical prosecutors connected nan lawsuit person sent nan weapon for further testing, and person said they will refile nan lawsuit if it turns retired nan weapon was moving normally.
Prosecutors had earlier dropped a five-year sentencing enhancement against some defendants aft learning that nan rule was not connected nan books astatine nan clip of nan shooting. D.A. Mary Carmack-Altwies had besides complained that her agency lacks nan manpower to grip a high-profile case. She yet recused herself aft a judge ruled that she could not co-prosecute nan lawsuit pinch a typical prosecutor.
Bowles said it was “shocking” that nan prosecutors person revenge nan caller tampering complaint 20 months aft nan investigation began, “with nary anterior announcement aliases immoderate witnesser statements, laboratory reports, aliases grounds to support it.”
In a filing earlier this month, typical prosecutors Kari Morrissey and Jason Lewis alleged that Gutierrez Reed had been “drinking heavy and smoking marijuana successful nan evenings during nan shooting of Rust.” They based on that was applicable to nan lawsuit because she was “likely” hungover erstwhile she loaded a unrecorded information into Baldwin’s gun.
They besides alleged that aft nan shooting, Gutierrez Reed had “walked disconnected pinch nan firearm for a sizeable magnitude of time” earlier nan deputies arrived connected scene. The prosecutors suggested astatine nan clip that Gutierrez Reed could beryllium charged pinch tampering pinch evidence, though they did not mention nan supplier allegation.
Bowles has revenge a mobility seeking to propulsion retired nan case. A preliminary proceeding is owed to beryllium held successful August.
In his latest filing, Bowles based on that it has go clear that prosecutors are trying to expanse exculpatory grounds “under nan rug.” He based on that if Shilling had not accidentally copied him connected his email, nan defense would not person known astir his “extremely negative” views of nan investigation.
Shilling sent nan email connected Tuesday to Carmack-Altwies, copying 2 different prosecutors and Bowles. In it, he confirmed that he was terminating his statement to activity connected nan case, arsenic nan caller typical prosecutors want their ain interrogator to grip it going forward. Toward nan end, Shilling added nan speech disparaging nan Sheriff’s Office.
Morrissey responded to Bowles, asking him to delete nan email arsenic it was intended for Lewis.
In nan filing, Bowles said he has since learned that Shilling is nether a non-disclosure agreement. Bowles alleged that nan authorities is trying to suppress Shilling’s statements, which could beryllium exculpatory for Gutierrez Reed.
Shilling drafted nan D.A.’s statements of probable origin supporting nan original charges, successful which he spelled retired galore allegations that Baldwin and Gutierrez Reed had been reckless and had caused Hutchins’ death.
“The truth that he wrote nan charges successful nan mode that he did, but now professes awesome interest pinch nan value of nan investigation, is simply a very important and exculpatory matter,” Bowles wrote.
The typical prosecutors and nan Sheriff’s Office did not instantly respond to a petition for comment.
