Bloodstained clothing, script used in fatal ‘rust’ shots

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.

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.

“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.”

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.

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.