Prosecutors deny Alec Baldwin’s lawyer’s claim that the gun used in Rust’s murder was destroyed.

March 9 (UPI) — Late Thursday evening, the District Attorney’s office clarified the status of the weapon that killed cameraman Galina Hutchins on the set of a movie. Rustrefuting claims by lawyer Alec Baldwin on Thursday that he had been destroyed.

“I don’t think the court is aware of this, but I think I should tell the court that the firearms in this case … were destroyed by the state,” one of Baldwin’s lawyers, Alex Spiro, said during the trial. heard earlier in the day, in accordance with CNNBC. “Obviously this is a problem and we need to see this firearm or what’s left of it.”

But New Mexico First Judicial District attorney Mary Carmack-Oltvis later responded that Spiro may have misunderstood what happened to the gun. Press secretary Heather Brewer said the gun “still exists”.

“The defense’s surprise statement at today’s hearing that the weapon was destroyed by the state may be a reference to a statement in the July 2022 FBI firearms testing report that the weapon’s internal components were damaged during FBI functional testing. “, Brewer said in a statement. ABC News reports. “However, the gun still exists and can be used as evidence.”

Baldwin, 64, pleaded not guilty to manslaughter in 2021 in the shooting of cameraman Galina Hutchins on the set of the film.

Baldwin was formally indicted by Santa Fe County District Attorney Mary Carmack-Oltvis along with Rust gunsmith Hannah Gutierrez-Reid, last month after an FBI-assisted investigation.

He faces a maximum sentence of 18 months in prison if found guilty in his upcoming trial.

This term may have been longer because Special Prosecutor Andrea Reeb initially charged Baldwin with a firearm improvement that would have added five more years to his sentence had he been found guilty. However, Baldwin’s lawyers argued that the amplification was unconstitutional because the relevant law was not yet in force at the time of the incident.

Balvin also pushed for Rib to recuse herself.

Reeb is also the special prosecutor for Rust case while serving as the state’s Republican legislature, even if the state constitution forbids a member of one branch from exercising the powers of another branch.

However, the district attorney’s office claims that special prosecutors do not fit into any of the branches of government.

Production on the film was put on hold following a 2021 shooting incident, but is slated to resume at Montana’s Yellowstone Movie Ranch, according to ABC News.

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