Alec Baldwin’s trial for involuntary manslaughter collapsed dramatically on Friday after a judge found that key evidence related to the fatal shooting on the set of “Rust” had been withheld from the defense. Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer, overseeing the trial in Santa Fe, New Mexico, ruled that bullets potentially favourable to Baldwin’s case were not shared with his lawyers by police and prosecutors, leading to the case’s dismissal.
Alec Baldwin, who faced a possible 18-month prison sentence if convicted, was overcome with emotion as the case was abruptly dismissed. Judge Marlowe Sommer criticized the state’s actions, describing them as “intentional and deliberate” and suggesting they bordered on bad faith, which she deemed highly prejudicial to Alec Baldwin.
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The incident in question occurred in October 2021, when Alec Baldwin, during a rehearsal, pointed a gun that discharged, killing cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and injuring the film’s director. Hannah Gutierrez, the film’s armorer who loaded the weapon, is already serving an 18-month prison term for involuntary manslaughter. Alec Baldwin faced the same charge, with prosecutors accusing him of ignoring basic gun safety and acting recklessly.
Baldwin’s lawyer, Alex Spiro, contended that Baldwin had no responsibility to check the weapon’s contents and was unaware it contained live rounds. The defense also aimed to discredit the police investigation, revealing that live bullets potentially linked to the shooting had been submitted to police but not disclosed to Baldwin’s lawyers. These bullets were handed over by a former police officer and family friend of Gutierrez, who claimed they matched the rounds that killed Hutchins.
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Spiro accused the police of “burying” this evidence by not filing it under the “Rust” case, effectively hiding it from the defense. Crime scene technician Marissa Poppell admitted under questioning that she had cataloged the bullets but was instructed not to file them under the “Rust” case.
Momento cuando Alec Baldwin se entera que el caso en su contra por homicidio involuntario fue desestimado y no podrán acusarlo nuevamente por ello.
pic.twitter.com/4llmVGxxjD— Marvel Latin News (@MarvelLatin) July 12, 2024
Special prosecutor Kari Morrissey, who initially denied knowledge of the bullets, was later revealed to have been involved in discussions about not submitting the bullets into the “Rust” case file. Morrissey voluntarily testified in an attempt to salvage the prosecution’s case, claiming the bullets were stored in Arizona and did not match the live rounds on the “Rust” set. However, Judge Marlowe Sommer remained unconvinced and dismissed the case.
Legal experts suggest Alec Baldwin is unlikely to face criminal proceedings again over the shooting, though civil suits remain a possibility. Los Angeles lawyer Tre Lovell and University of Richmond law professor Carl Tobias agreed that the criminal case is effectively over, with a refiling being unlikely due to double jeopardy laws.
The withheld evidence may benefit Gutierrez, who has already launched an appeal, and David Halls, the film’s first assistant director, who took a plea deal and admitted negligence. Los Angeles-based attorney Christopher Melcher expressed astonishment at the case’s sudden collapse, describing the swift unfolding of events as “absolutely amazing to watch.”
