Judge dismisses Alec Baldwin’s involuntary manslaughter case while filming ‘Rust’

This Friday, July 12, the US Department of Justice dismissed the case against her Alec Baldwin for involuntary manslaughter on the set of the movie “Rust” after the actor’s defense claimed that crucial elements of his case had been withheld during the process.

The judge, Mary Marlowe Sommer, said the state had failed in its task of “revealing critical information about the defendant” and that the breach had caused an “unnecessary” and “incurable” delay to the trial, so the only way to to correct the error was to dismiss the case.

“The late discovery of this evidence during the trial has prevented the effective use of the evidence in a way that has affected the fundamental fairness of the process.”said Marlowe Sommer.

The defense argued that prosecutors they were hiding information about ammunition that could be related to the shooting on the set of the 2021 western movie “Rust.” The defense said they should have been allowed to determine their significance. Prosecutors said the ammunition was not related to the case and was not being concealed.

This is how Alec Baldwin reacted to hearing the judge’s decision

Upon hearing the verdict, Baldwin broke down in tears, as did his wife, Hilaria, and as Marlowe Sommer finished his statement, the “30 Rock” actor was comforted by his wife and siblings Stephen and Beth, who they accompanied all week.

The interpreter left the court in Santa Fe, New Mexico, accompanied by his family and without giving statements to the press who were waiting for him at the exit.

The prosecutor, Kari Morrissey, said for her part that she respected the judge’s decision although she did not agree with it.

Baldwin, The 66-year-old was facing 18 months in prison on a manslaughter charge in the October 2021 shooting death of Rust director of photography Halina Hutchins.

The actor was rehearsing a scene in which he was holding a Colt 45 revolver when live ammunition was fired, killing Hutchins. Live bullets are prohibited on sets.

At a hearing this Friday, Alex Spiro, his attorney, filed a motion accusing the prosecution of withholding fundamental evidence that could incriminate Rust production prop supplier Seth Kenney.

In its opening arguments, the defense argued that the state had focused its investigation on Baldwin’s guilt before pointing to possible culprits such as the supplier.