Alec Baldwin broke down in tears as a New Mexico judge dismissed the involuntary manslaughter case against him related to the fatal shooting on the set of the film “Rust.” The trial collapsed just three days into proceedings in Santa Fe, near the site where cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was tragically shot during rehearsals with a revolver Baldwin was handling.
This marks the second dismissal of the case since the October 2021 shooting, and Baldwin will not face trial again. His lawyers accused the police and prosecutors of hiding critical evidence—a batch of bullets—that might have been linked to the incident. The defense’s motion to dismiss the case led to significant developments, including the resignation of one of the two special prosecutors and the judge dismissing the jury to hear from several witnesses.
A key point of contention was how live ammunition ended up on the set. Baldwin’s lawyers questioned the investigation and the mistakes made by the authorities who processed the scene. They argued that the bullets, which could be related to Hutchins’ death, were filed in a different case with a different number and should have been shared with the defense team.
Prosecutors contended that the ammunition was not connected to the case and did not match bullets found on the “Rust” set. However, Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer ruled that the evidence should have been disclosed to Baldwin’s defense team. “The state’s willful withholding of this information was intentional and deliberate,” she stated. “There is no way for the court to right this wrong.”
Consequently, the judge dismissed the case with prejudice, meaning prosecutors cannot refile the charges against Baldwin. “It was the nuclear option. The case is over,” said Los Angeles trial attorney Joshua Ritter.
Baldwin, known for his roles on the NBC sitcom “30 Rock” and his portrayal of Donald Trump on “Saturday Night Live,” wept as the judge detailed her reasons for the dismissal. His wife, Hilaria, and other family members were visibly emotional. The couple left the court hand-in-hand without addressing the press.
The hidden evidence came to light when a crime-scene technician revealed that a retired police officer, Troy Teske, had turned over live ammunition potentially related to the case. Teske, a friend of Hannah Gutierrez-Reed’s step-father (the film’s armorer who was convicted of involuntary manslaughter earlier this year), was working with Seth Kenney, who managed props and ammunition on the film set.
The court session included testimonies from various witnesses, including Seth Kenney and authorities who led the case. One of the prosecutors, Kari Morrissey, took the stand to explain why the ammunition was not shared with the defense, an unusual occurrence for a prosecutor. Morrissey testified that, in her perspective, the ammunition had “no evidentiary value.” Her co-prosecutor, Erlinda Ocampo Johnson, resigned over disagreements regarding the handling of the public hearing about the evidence claims.
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