Juror in Alec Baldwin’s ‘Rust’ trial for Halyna Hutchins’ death calls case ‘pointless’

SANTA FE, NEW MEXICO: Martina Marquez, known as juror No 1 in Alec Baldwin’s ‘Rust’ trial case grew to believe “the case seemed mishandled from the get-go.”

In her first interview since the New Mexico judge Mary Marlow Sommer dismissed the involuntary manslaughter charges against the ‘Saturday Night Live’ alum on July 12, Martinez told PEOPLE that as the case progressed she found the trial against Baldwin to be “pointless.”

The 36-year-old New Mexico resident, an oncology scheduler, however, admitted that she “was open-minded to listening to the facts” from the start of the trial.

Juror of Alec Baldwin’s trial feels it is ‘pointless’

In her interview with the outlet, Martinez shared that as the legal proceeding progressed over the first two days with the prosecutors and defense presenting evidence and testimony, she was getting more convinced about the veracity of the trial. 

Baldwin was charged with involuntary manslaughter of ‘Rust’ cinematographer Halyna Hutchins in 2021. Baldwin was holding a prop gun during the filming as the gun discharged, killing Hutchins and injuring director Joel Souza. 

Baldwin, who always maintained that he did not pull the trigger causing the gun to discharge, was indicted by a grand jury in January. 

In the trial, which took place at the Santa Fe court in New Mexico, special prosecutor Erlinda Johnson painted the movie’s star as a “reckless” person. Johnson suggested Baldwin’s reckless behavior and his non-comportment to gun safety rules facilitated Hutchins’ passing.  

However, Marquez came to view the entire tribulation “as an unfortunate accident,” adding, “The indictment charge seemed a little bit harsh.”

She continued, “Just starting from the lapel cam videos, it didn't make sense how they could point fingers directly towards him as a whole.”

Marquez referred to several people who were present on set and as seen in body camera footage from Timoteo Benavidez, a lieutenant with the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office.

The footage from Benavidez’s body camera, as shown in court, further showed him searching for the prop gun that facilitated the tragedy. 

He, however, could not find it until it was given to him by ‘Rust’ armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed (who was previously convicted of involuntary manslaughter for accidentally loading live ammunition into the firearm and is now serving 18 months in prison).

Marquez added, “It didn't make sense,” before explaining, “We all watch TV and we watch movies.”

“You're not supposed to really touch evidence and move it from place to place,” said the juror, before adding, “So that made me iffy about the situation because it could have been in so many people's hands by the time the lieutenant actually confiscated it.”

However, she did not bear the same view for the armorer, as she pinned her blame on Gutierrez-Reed, saying, “I felt like she was liable for what happened.”

Marquez further stated her opinion on the time spent in investigating and bringing charges against Baldwin, saying, “It didn't need to go this far. And it did seem pointless.”

Marquez shared that though she and the other jurors did not talk among each other about the case, she felt all of them “were on the same page” regarding what they saw as Baldwin’s innocence. 

When she was asked whether she thought the prosecutors were harsh on Baldwin because of his celebrity status, Marquez replied in the affirmative, saying, “I do think they were,” and added, “I feel like they needed to pin [the death] on somebody.”

Alec Baldwin thanks his fans after charges dropped

On the third day of the trial, Judge Sommer dismissed the case against Baldwin citing the prosecutors suppressed key evidence of firearms that were previously given to them. 

Citing, “The late discovery of this evidence during trial has impeded the effective use of evidence in such a way that it has impacted the fundamental fairness of the proceedings,” Sommer dismissed the case with prejudice meaning a further case on the same incident cannot be filed against the '30 Rock' star. 

After the verdict was read, Baldwin wept in joy and hugged his wife Hilaria, who offered her steady support to the actor throughout the trial. 

The actor later took to his Instagram to thank his fans for their unwavering support. 

He wrote, "There are too many people who have supported me to thank just now. To all of you, you will never know how much I appreciate your kindness toward my family."