Southwest
Alec Baldwin 'Rust' trial: Jury will hear actor urge wife to visit for a 'good time' just after shooting
Jurors will learn that Alec Baldwin urged his wife and kids to visit him in Santa Fe for a “good time,” hours after he accidentally shot Halyna Hutchins and Joel Souza on a movie set, according to a ruling Thursday.
Baldwin, 66, hadn’t yet learned that Hutchins was dead but knew that she and Souza had been taken to a hospital when he called his wife, Hilaria, from a New Mexico sheriff’s office Oct. 21, 2021.
“He’s speaking to his wife, and he has her on FaceTime so we can actually hear her. We can hear her responses. And then he’s speaking to another person,” prosecutor Kari Morrissey told the judge during a hearing outside the earshot of jurors.
“And he is explaining that he wants that person to try to convince his wife to still come to New Mexico because they can’t get their money back for the plane tickets, and they’d like to go ahead and have a good time.”
FATAL TIMELINE IN ALEC BALDWIN ‘RUST’ SHOOTING THAT LED TO ACTORS INVOLUNTARY MANSLAUGHTER CHARGE
Alec Baldwin attends his manslaughter trial in Santa Fe, N.M., Thursday, July 11, 2024, for the 2021 fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins during filming of the Western movie “Rust.” (Ramsay de Give/Pool Photo via AP)
Hilaria and their kids had previously planned to visit Baldwin one day after the tragic accident.
But rather than call off their trip after the shooting, Baldwin urged them to visit.
Morrissey argued the statement should be allowed after defense attorney Alex Spiro elicited testimony about Baldwin’s state of mind from Santa Fe Sheriff’s Deputy Nicholas Lefleur.
Spiro had asked whether Baldwin appeared upset after the accidental shooting, which the deputy confirmed.
ALEC BALDWIN’S ‘RUST’ ARMORER REQUESTS PRISON RELEASE DAYS BEFORE ACTOR’S INVOLUNTARY MANSLAUGHTER TRIAL
PHOTO GALLERY: ALEC BALDWIN ‘RUST’ SHOOTING TRIAL DAY 2
Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer ruled prosecutors could introduce his conversations with Hilaria, which were captured on video hours after the accident as Baldwin sat alone in a police interview room.
Later that evening, Baldwin told Det. Alexandria Hancock, “You live a very, very difficult but ultimately very narrow life.”
Sommer said that statement can also be disclosed to jurors.
ALEC BALDWIN’S CLAIM HE DIDN’T PULL TRIGGER ON ‘RUST’ SET QUESTIONED BY SHERIFF: ‘GUNS DON’T JUST GO OFF’
Crime scene technician Marissa Poppell attends Alec Baldwin’s manslaughter trial in Santa Fe, N.M., Thursday, July 11, 2024, for the 2021 fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins during filming of the Western movie “Rust.” (Ramsay de Give/Pool Photo via AP)
The third day of Baldwin’s involuntary manslaughter trial in the First Judicial District Court kicked off with cross-examination of the state’s fourth witness, forensic technician Marissa Poppell.
During the brutal hours-long questioning by Spiro, Poppell admitted she didn’t conduct an exhaustive search for live ammunition at a warehouse for the film’s prop supplier after having stated the opposite on direct examination.
The defense has argued investigators zeroed in on Baldwin rather than focus on who supplied the live rounds to the set, which remains a mystery.
Attorney Alex Spiro attends Alec Baldwin’s manslaughter trial at First Judicial District Courthouse July 11, 2024, in Santa Fe, N.M. (Ramsay de Give/Pool/Getty Images)
Spiro showed jurors photos of stacked boxes and tubs in Seth Kenney’s PDQ Arm and Prop’s warehouse, where Poppell and other officers unsuccessfully searched for live rounds that matched the one that killed Hutchins.
Poppell admitted they didn’t go through every box but instead shook some of them and listened for a rattle.
“At the search being conducted to find the source of the lethal round, law enforcement is doing the very same thing that you’re complaining about the armorer doing on the set, right?” Spiro asked.
“Yes,” she replied.
The film’s armorer, Hannah Gutierrez Reed, who was convicted of the same charge Baldwin is facing for loading a live round into the revolver that killed Hutchins, previously told investigators she checked to confirm a bullet was a dummy “most of the time.”
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Los Angeles, Ca
Man found guilty of sex trafficking victim along L.A.’s Figueroa Corridor
A former Riverside County man was found guilty of sex trafficking a female victim and forcing her to engage in commercial sex acts along L.A.’s notorious Figueroa Corridor.
Elias Abdul Shabazz, 34, formerly of Perris, was found guilty by a jury following a five-day trial, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
Prosecutors said Shabazz had led the victim to believe they were in a romantic relationship before he turned physically and sexually violent. He began demanding that the victim engage in commercial sex acts from May to October of 2021, court documents said.
He carried a handgun with him and, on occasion, was accused of using it to pistol-whip the victim. He also fired the gun at her feet while threatening to kill her, prosecutors said.
At trial, the victim said Shabazz demanded that she meet a daily quota of commercial sex proceeds and that she was terrified of the consequences of not meeting that quota.
She testified that Shabazz compelled her to work in the notorious Figueroa Corridor in South L.A., a dangerous area known for human trafficking and prostitution.
Shabazz had confiscated her identification card, Social Security card and birth certificate. He constantly monitored her cell phone to stop her from communicating with any friends or family.
“He also introduced her to addictive narcotics and controlled every aspect of her life, including when she ate, slept and showered,” prosecutors said.
In May 2025, Shabazz was arrested and has remained in federal custody. His last known address at the time was in Washington, D.C.
On June 26, 2026, Shabazz was found guilty of one count of coercing or enticing interstate transportation for purposes of prostitution.
A sentencing hearing is scheduled for Oct. 6, where he faces 15 years to life in prison.
“Sex trafficking matters rank among the most tragic cases our office prosecutes,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli. “This defendant will now face many years in a federal prison cell for his sick, disgusting, and disturbing behavior.”
“Elias Shabazz preyed on a vulnerable victim using physical and sexual violence and cruel psychological coercion to compel commercial sex acts for his own profit,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “There is no place for this type of conduct in civilized society. We deeply respect the victim’s courage to face her trafficker in court. The Criminal Division will continue to bring these cases and try them.”
Anyone with information about human trafficking can report tips to the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 888-373-7888
Los Angeles, Ca
Watch Project Angel Food's 'Lead with Love' telethon on KTLA
The star-studded feel-good giveback event of the summer has returned. KTLA 5 is teaming up once again with Project Angel Food for the annual “Lead with Love: Going the Distance” telethon to raise critical funds for medically tailored meals delivered to people living with serious illnesses throughout Los Angeles County. The seventh annual telethon airs […]
Los Angeles, Ca
Woman ambushed, violently attacked by robber in downtown Long Beach
A woman was hospitalized with serious injuries after she was violently attacked by a robber in downtown Long Beach. On June 18, Jennifer Silva, 34, was attending a World Cup watch party at a Hooters restaurant at 90 Aquarium Way. After the game ended, she left the restaurant just before 11 p.m. As she walked […]
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