Judge dismisses Alec Baldwin's case over evidence concealment in 'Rust' shooting trial

A New Mexico judge made the decision to dismiss the criminal involuntary manslaughter case against Alec Baldwin on Friday. This decision was reached on the third day of the actor's trial after it was ruled that evidence about ammunition related to the case was kept secret from the defense lawyers by the prosecutors.

Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer dismissed the case against Baldwin, which was related to the accidental shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of his movie "Rust" in October 2021. The dismissal was made with prejudice, meaning that prosecutors cannot retry the actor from "30 Rock." Baldwin was visibly emotional and wept as the decision was announced on what was supposed to be the third day of his trial in state court in Santa Fe.

"There is no way for the court to right this wrong," said Sommers, referring to the prosecution's actions. "The sanction of dismissal is the only warranted remedy."

Defense's Claims

Earlier that day, the defense team had made a motion to dismiss the case, leading to jurors being sent home for the weekend. The defense had cited the ammunition in the possession of prosecutors, which had not been previously disclosed to Baldwin's team.

"We don't know if it's a live ammunition match or not," stated Baldwin's attorney Luke Nikas. "But we do know that the state had it, and it's disclosable." Prosecutors, however, claimed that the ammunition was not related to the case.

Case History

The dismissal comes 16 months after the charges against Baldwin were first dropped by prosecutors due to the emergence of "new facts" that required further investigation. The case was refiled earlier this year.

Baldwin was rehearsing a scene when a revolver he was handling fired, resulting in the accidental death of the 42-year-old Hutchins. Baldwin has maintained that he did not pull the trigger of the weapon. He had faced the possibility of being sentenced to 18 months in prison if convicted.

Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the armorer on the "Rust" production, is currently serving an 18-month prison sentence after being convicted of involuntary manslaughter. It is now being speculated that her conviction might be reversed as a result of the ruling in Baldwin's case.