‘Rust’ prop supplier speaks out after Alec Baldwin’s case is dismissed

Although Alec Baldwin will no longer be prosecuted in connection with the shooting of cameraman “Rust” Halyna HutchinsThe case continues to make headlines.

Weapon Master Hannah Gutierrez-Reed is currently serving 18 months behind bars after being found guilty of manslaughter in March. But after Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer dropped the charges against Alec Baldwin due to withheld evidence, the young gunsmith fought for a retrial. That will be decided at a hearing next month.

If Hannah Gutierrez-Reed gets a new trial, one of the witnesses will likely testify: the prop supplier Seth Kenneyagainst whom no charges were ever brought in this case.

The “Rust” trial of Alec Baldwin was dismissed with prejudice on the third day of the trial after a forensic technician presented evidence that had not been turned over to the defense. Retired Arizona police officer Troy Teske, a friend of Hannah Gutierrez-Reed's father, veteran Hollywood gunsmith Thell Reed, went to police to turn in ammunition that might have matched the bullet that killed Hutchins.

Baldwin's attorney Alex Spiro argued that the bullets came from prop supplier Seth Kenney, who had worked with Thell Reed on the Paramount+ western “1883” and ran a “cowboy boot camp.” The two had used live ammunition for target practice. Teske had gotten the bullets from Reed, who had stored some of the ammunition at his home. Kenney also owned some of the bullets from the “cowboy boot camp” and brought them to his business: PDQ Arm and Prop in New Mexico.

While I was The Hollywood ReporterSeth Kenney said he suspected a crime and did not know why Teske waited so long to turn the evidence over to authorities.

Troy Teske was quoted in November 2021 as saying he did not have .45 Colt ammunition with nickel primers, a possible match with rust”, he explained. “His years-long delay in delivering ammunition to the Sheriff’s Office was only a small portion of the 100 rounds he previously had in his possession, but now in 2024 there are three rounds that have nickel primers and may be compatible with the rust Ammunition.”

Although police did search Seth Kenney's warehouse, it was four weeks after Hutchins' death. Police did find the container Kenney and Thell used during live ammunition training on the set of 1883, but at the time it did not contain any Starline brass casings that matched the bullets found on set.

“Just days after the fatal shooting, Hannah and Thell Reed entered the truck and stole a quantity of potential evidence, including over a dozen gun belts, before the sheriff's department obtained and executed a search warrant,” Kenney told the publication. “Mr. Teske is a close friend of the Reed family, so it is no surprise that he may have come into possession of potentially matching evidence. rust Ammunition from the set.”

While filming in New Mexico, Seth Kenney supplied ammunition and props for the set of “Rust.” According to the 551-page report from the Santa Fe Sheriff's Office, Kenney supplied about 30 guns of various types and ammunition, consisting primarily of .44-.40 and .38-.40 cartridges.

Kenney said he only provided a box of .45 Long Colt ammunition, the ammunition that was used to load the revolver when it went off. Kenney has maintained since 2021 that he did not provide the ammunition used on the day of the shooting, saying it was different than the bullet Hannah Gutierrez-Reed loaded into the gun that later ended up in the hands of Alec Baldwin.

Although Santa Fe police have released 551 pages of evidence they collected, it is still unclear how live ammunition ended up on a film set. According to Hannah Gutierrez-Reed's lawsuit, “there is no explanation for where the rest of the live ammunition went or what Seth did with it,” referring to the live ammunition Kenney took home from the 1883 shooting camp.

Unfortunately, according to the sheriff's report, no DNA or fingerprint analysis was conducted on the live ammunition found on set, so the question of how live ammunition ended up on a movie set will likely remain a mystery forever.