‘It Didn’t Make Sense…’: Juror From Alec Baldwin’s Rust Trial Says Manslaughter Charge Against Actor Was ‘Pointless’

What did the juror say about the charges in the Rust trial?

In an interview with People Magazine, juror Martina Marquez from New Mexico expressed her willingness to consider all the evidence presented during the court proceedings from the outset.

According to reports, during the initial stages of the trial, as the prosecution and defense presented their evidence and called witnesses, her belief grew stronger that the case had been mishandled right from the beginning.

In an interview with a publication, I, Marquez, expressed my concern about the severity of the indictment change, as I found it hard to understand based on the bodycam footage from Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Officer Lieutenant Timoteo Benavidez alone. It seemed unfathomable to me that someone could be directly accused of wrongdoing solely based on these videos.

According to reports, during the trial, Benavidez’s video recordings indicated that he was searching for Baldwin’s prop gun in the courtroom. However, he didn’t obtain it until Hannah Gutierrez-Reed handed it over to him.

During her conversation with the publication, Marquez expressed her doubt, stating, “It didn’t seem logical to me.” She explained that we are all accustomed to seeing evidence handled carefully in TV shows and movies. Given this, she found the situation suspicious since by the time the lieutenant had it, it could have passed through multiple hands.

Martinez expressed her belief that Gutierrez-Reed should have been held accountable for the incident. Regarding the lengthy investigation and subsequent charges against the actor, she commented, “It didn’t necessitate such extremes. It appeared unnecessary.”

Martina Marquez shares on prosecutors going too far

In her conversation with the magazine, she was queried whether the prosecution had overstepped boundaries towards the renowned actor due to his fame, and the juror concurred with this assessment.

She expressed her belief that they were indeed responsible, further mentioning that she thought the prosecution required someone to be held accountable for the death.

For those unfamiliar with the situation, the judge terminated the case versus Baldwin due to a significant issue: The evidence crucial to the proceedings was only discovered toward the end of the trial, limiting its effectiveness in use.

The actor wept in court upon learning the judge’s verdict, potentially facing a sentence of up to 18 months in prison had he been declared guilty.