Inside the Alec Baldwin trial: How a retired cop became a pivotal witness

An unexpected twist in the Alec Baldwin trial

In March, retired police officer Troy Teske walked into the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office to hand over some bullets. Little did he know, his action would make him a crucial figure in the highly-publicized Alec Baldwin trial. This dramatic turn of events unfolded over a few months, leading to revelations that would shake the case to its core.

“It blew up. It was hilarious to watch,” Teske, originally from Bullhead City, Arizona, remarked during his first interview about the unfolding drama.

The incident on the set of “Rust”

Alec Baldwin was accused of negligently shooting cinematographer Halyna Hutchins during the filming of “Rust”. In a particularly dramatic scene in July, Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer inspected Teske’s bullets in open court. To everyone’s surprise, three of his bullets matched the live rounds found on set, including the fatal one.

The significance of Teske’s bullets

The legal system operates on the principle of fairness. The discovery that these bullets had not been shared with Baldwin’s defense team was enough for the judge to dismiss the case. It was determined that Baldwin had not been given a fair trial. However, these bullets also reignited a lingering question: How did live bullets end up on a film set?

Theories and revelations

Teske’s bullets seemed to support the popular theory that the live rounds came from Seth Kenney, a prop supplier for “Rust”. Kenney, responsible for supplying guns, dummy rounds, and blanks, has continuously denied any wrongdoing. Despite his denials, both the prosecution and investigators have shifted their suspicion towards Hannah Gutierrez Reed, the set armorer, who is now serving an 18-month sentence related to Hutchins’ death.

A tangled web of connections

Teske, who is a long-time friend of Gutierrez Reed’s father, the renowned film armorer Thell Reed, often stored bullets for him. In the months leading up to the “Rust” incident, bullets from this collection made their way to various destinations, including Taylor Sheridan’s ranch in Texas. Here, they were used in a live-fire training camp for the actors of the “Yellowstone” prequel, “1883.”

After the camp, Kenney returned to Albuquerque with some of these bullets. It was believed that these rounds ended up on the “Rust” set, mixed with similar dummy rounds. However, post-shooting investigations debunked this theory when Kenney’s remaining live ammo didn’t match the bullets found at the scene.

The lapse in investigation

Troy Teske still possessed bullets from the same batch and anticipated that detectives would seize them for examination. Curiously, they never did.

“Thell and I went out and shot up a whole bunch of it,” Teske revealed. “I finally thought, ‘I’m down to about 19 rounds, or 18 — I’d better hang on to these and turn them in later.’”

Hoping to aid in Gutierrez Reed’s defense, Teske brought these bullets to her trial in March. However, he was instructed by the defense lawyer to take them to the Sheriff’s Office instead, which Teske found suspicious.

The discovery at the hotel

While staying at a Santa Fe hotel, Teske inspected his rounds and noticed three bullets with Starline Brass casings and silver primers, identical to the live rounds on “Rust”. Doubting their importance, he feared their destruction upon turnover.

“I thought maybe they would destroy the evidence,” Teske admitted. “When I turned it in, I wanted proof that I turned it in.”

Alexandria Hancock, the lead detective, later testified that she had tried to contact Teske but never received a response. Consequently, she logged his bullets under a separate file, rendering them inaccessible to Baldwin’s defense.

Teske, however, disputes Hancock’s testimony, asserting that she never once called him. He expressed disbelief over the decision to log his bullets under another case number.

Trial revelations

Despite these mishaps, Baldwin’s legal team learned about the bullets and presented them at the trial. Prosecutor Kari Morrissey and a crime scene technician initially claimed that the bullets didn’t match those from the set. This was promptly disproven when the judge asked to see the rounds, revealing the truth to everyone present.

“Everybody was lying about it,” Teske said.

Reflections on justice and unanswered questions

The trial concluded with Baldwin walking free while Hannah Gutierrez Reed serves her sentence. Teske voiced his discomfort with this outcome, especially given that hiding evidence impacted her trial as well.

“She’s trying to survive in prison,” he noted. “A whole bunch of people are always trying to fight her. They call her ‘Hollywood.’ They don’t like her.”

As for how the live bullets got on set, the mystery remains unsolved. Teske, reflecting on the entire saga, is ready to move on.

“All the evidence is gone — there’s no proving anything right now,” he concluded. “I’m pretty much over it — I’m done thinking about it.”

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