Judge Dismisses Case Against Alec Baldwin?

A judge in New Mexico ended the case against Alec Baldwin on Friday. This happened during Baldwin’s trial for involuntary manslaughter. The judge said the case can’t be started again.

Reason for Dismissal of Case Against Alec Baldwin

Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer stopped the case because the police and prosecutors did not share important evidence with Baldwin’s lawyers. This evidence was related to the 2021 shooting of Halyna Hutchins on the movie set of “Rust.”

Baldwin’s Reaction

When the judge made the announcement, Baldwin cried, hugged his lawyers, and then hugged his wife, Hilaria, for a long time. He left the courthouse without talking to reporters.

Unfair Trial?

Judge Sommer said that finding this evidence late made the trial unfair. She said the actions of the police and prosecutors were almost like acting in bad faith.

No More Criminal Charges!

This means Baldwin, who is 66 years old, is no longer facing criminal charges for Hutchins’ death. The case started almost three years ago when Baldwin accidentally fired a gun during a rehearsal, killing Hutchins and injuring director Joel Souza. If found guilty, Baldwin could have gone to prison for 18 months. However, Baldwin and other producers still face lawsuits from Hutchins’ family.

Missing Evidence

Earlier on Friday, the judge paused the trial to consider a request from Baldwin’s lawyers. They said the prosecutors hid important evidence about the ammunition used in the shooting. They wanted to see this evidence to understand its importance

Prosecutors’ Argument

The prosecutors said the ammunition was not related to the case and was not hidden.

The ammunition evidence was not included with the rest of the “Rust” case and was not shown to Baldwin’s lawyers when they reviewed the ballistics evidence in April. The man who provided the ammunition was a close friend of Gutierrez-Reed’s father, Thell Reed, also a movie armorer. Special prosecutor Kari Morrissey said this was an attempt by Thell Reed to protect his daughter.

Morrissey called the defense’s argument a “wild goose chase” without real evidence. She said it was just a man trying to protect his daughter.

Resignation of Special Prosecutor

Another special prosecutor, Erlinda Ocampo Johnson, resigned from the case on Friday. Spiro asked if she resigned because of the evidence issues. Morrissey said she believed it was because of the public hearing.

Outside the courthouse, Morrissey said she respected the judge’s decision but didn’t think the undisclosed evidence was related to the “Rust” set. She said the defense misunderstood the importance of the evidence. Morrissey added that they did everything possible to bring justice to Halyna Hutchins and her family and were proud of their work.

Special Thanks to AP NEWS