Alec Baldwin‘s lawyers argued on Monday that his manslaughter case should be thrown out because investigators destroyed the key piece of evidence: his Colt .45 revolver.
Baldwin is due to face a trial in two weeks in Santa Fe, N.M., on the charge that he negligently shot and killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins in October 2021.
Baldwin has denied pulling the trigger, and the defense has suggested the gun had been modified so it could go off more easily. During testing in 2022, an FBI examiner struck the gun with a mallet, breaking the internal components such that the hammer would no longer stay in the fully cocked position.
Baldwin’s lawyer, John Bash, argued that the testing deprived the defense of a full opportunity to examine the gun in its original condition, noting that the examiner did not even disassemble the gun prior to the destructive testing or…
