Entertainment
Alec Baldwin’s manslaughter case dropped over hidden evidence
The involuntary manslaughter case against Alec Baldwin, the US actor, has been dismissed.
Baldwin has been in and out of the courts since the fatal on-set shooting of the cinematographer Halyna Hutchins in 2021.
The actor was producing the film ‘Rust’ at the Bonanza Creek Ranch in Santa Fe, New Mexico when he discharged a prop gun.
The shooting killed the set’s cinematographer Hutchins and injured the director Joel Souza.
Baldwin was charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter in January 2023 but the actor pleaded not guilty the following month.
In January 2024, a grand jury indicted Baldwin on an involuntary manslaughter charge, with two options to pursue the case.
One was based on “negligent” use of a firearm and the other was for felony misconduct “with the total disregard for the safety of others”.
Baldwin’s trial began in New Mexico on July 9, 2024.
In the latest development, however, the presiding judge Marlowe Sommer dismissed the case with prejudice.
Sommer cited police and prosecutorial misconduct, stating that evidence was withheld from the defence.
During the trial, the defence argued that prosecutors concealed evidence about ammunition potentially linked to the incident on the set.
They stated that this hindered their ability to assess the evidence’s significance.
The prosecution countered that the ammunition was unrelated and not deliberately hidden.
Sommer explained that the late discovery of this evidence during the trial compromised the fairness of the proceedings.
“The late discovery of this evidence during trial has impeded the effective use of evidence in such a way that it has impacted the fundamental fairness of the proceedings,” she said.
“If this conduct does not rise to the level of bad faith it certainly comes so near to bad faith to show signs of scorching.”
The issue of the concealed evidence emerged during the defence questioning of the sheriff’s crime scene technician Marissa Poppell.
It was revealed that a “good Samaritan” had brought the ammunition to the sheriff’s office earlier in 2024 following the trial of Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the film’s armourer who is currently appealing her conviction and 18-month prison sentence.
Baldwin, who faced a potential 18-month prison sentence if convicted, was visibly emotional upon hearing Sommer’s verdict.
He hugged his attorneys and Hilaria, his wife, outside the Santa Fe courthouse but did not speak to the media.
Entertainment
Bimpe Akintunde warns Nigerians against scammers impersonating her on WhatsApp
Bimpe Akintunde, the Nollywood actress, has raised an alarm over a fake WhatsApp account created in her name to scam unsuspecting individuals.
The film star took to her Instagram story to share screenshots of the impersonator, posing as her to solicit money from her followers.
Akintunde expressed her frustration and disappointment, cursing the scammer for attempting to profit from her hard work. She warned the public to be cautious of the impersonator on any media platform.
The actress urged her fans to help report the scammer’s WhatsApp and bank accounts.
She also prayed that God should keep such fraudulent individuals away from her and her loved ones.
“What a morning. Tell me how this country wants to be great, when a lot of people are struggling, working hard to build a name and brand, and boom, one person will take their pictures and name only to be defrauding people up and down,” she wrote.
“Who gave birth to such a child? Useless children, may God keep them away from us.
“Please disregard any message from anyone, either in your DM or WhatsApp, asking you to send money.
“Please, it not me. I do not own this above number. I would appreciate it if we could find a way to report both the WhatsApp and the Opay account.”
Entertainment
Davido advises black Americans not to relocate to Nigeria, says ‘the economy is in shambles’
Davido, the Afrobeats star, has advised black Americans against relocating to Nigeria, citing the country’s economic challenges.
In an appearance on The Big Homies House podcast, the singer shared his thoughts on the struggles bedeviling Nigeria, stating, “It is not cool back home. The economy is in shambles”.
Davido also mentioned Nigeria’s struggles with bad leadership, a high exchange rate, and skyrocketing oil prices, which are negatively impacting the country.
“It is not cool back home. The economy is in shambles. I do my part, I am an ambassador. When I go home and I am filming, I am no going to show the bad parts,” he said.
“I am talking about the situation in the country. Now the exchange rate is messed up, a lot of stuffs are not going well.
“The economy is just not good enough. The oil price is too high. Imagine the country that produces oil, paying more for it than a country importing oil.”
Despite the challenges, Davido emphasised the entertainment industry’s positive impact on Africa’s global image.
“Regardless, entertainment is one of the thing that has made Africa look good. We do not have the best leader, that is a fact,” he said.
Entertainment
US actor Jussie Smollett’s conviction for staged attack overturned
American actor, Jussie Smollett’s conviction for fabricating a racist and homophobic hate crime in Chicago in 2019 was overturned Thursday on due process grounds.
The Illinois Supreme Court ruled that Smollett, 42, should not have been charged again by prosecutors after a prior agreement saw over a dozen original charges dismissed.
It is the latest twist in Smollett’s legal saga, which began with his initial claim in January 2019 that he had been attacked on a Chicago street.
The gay African-American actor, then a cast member of the hit TV series “Empire,” said two masked men assaulted him late at night, shouting slurs and placing a noose around his neck.
Smollett staged the attack after receiving a legitimate piece of hate mail which he felt was not taken seriously by his employers, prosecutors said.
But those charges were suddenly dropped in March 2019, under an arrangement in which Smollett forfeited his $10,000 bond and agreed to do community service.
The dismissal was met with anger by some city officials, including then-mayor Rahm Emanuel, who argued $10,000 was only a fraction of the actual investigation costs.
A special prosecutor eventually took over the case and several charges were reinstated.
Smollett, who has always maintained his innocence, was found guilty in December 2021.
Though he was sentenced to 150 days in prison with 30 months on probation, he was released pending the outcome of his appeal.
He was also ordered to repay $120,106 to the Chicago Police to cover their investigation costs.
The case had initially sent shock waves through a deeply divided country still plagued by racial and sexual discrimination, and the actor had immediately received support from celebrities in political and cultural circles.
The Illinois Supreme Court ruling said that bringing the charges a second time after “the defendant has performed his part of the bargain” represented “a due process violation.”
“We therefore reverse (the) defendant’s conviction,” the ruling said.
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