Alec Baldwin’s high profile manslaughter trial thrown out by New Mexico judge
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Alec Baldwin wept in court after his high profile criminal trial, in which he faced involuntary manslaughter charges over the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, was thrown out by a New Mexico judge.
The case was dismissed on Friday after it was found that the state had withheld evidence that could have shed light on how live rounds got onto the set of the Rust movie, where the young cinematographer was fatally shot.
“There is no way for the court to right this wrong,” Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer said in court adding that dismissal of the case was needed to ensure “the integrity of the judicial system.”
“The late discovery of this evidence during trial has impeded the effective use of evidence in such a way that it has impacted the fundamental fairness of the proceedings,” Marlowe Sommer said. “If this conduct does not rise to the level of bad faith it certainly comes so near to bad faith to show signs of scorching.”
Sommer put a pause on the trial earlier Friday while she considered the defense motion to dismiss the case over the evidence.
Baldwin, 66, became visibly emotional, holding his head in his hands and embracing his lawyer. He then turned around and embraced his wife, Hilaria Baldwin.
The decision was announced during a hearing after the jury had been dismissed for the weekend.
Members of the actor’s family, including his wife, younger brother Stephen Baldwin and older sister Elizabeth Keuchler — have been present in the courtroom to support him throughout proceedings.
Nearly three years have passed since a prop gun Baldwin was holding went off during a rehearsal of the film’s shooting scene in 2021, striking and killing Hutchins and injuring director Joel Souza.
The star and co-producer of the Western was pointing a revolver at Hutchins during a rehearsal in a small church on the movie set at Bonanza Creek Ranch, when the incident occurred. Baldwin has said he pulled back the hammer — but not the trigger — and the gun fired.
He was charged with a single felony count of involuntary manslaughter and faced 18 months in prison, an idea that sent schockwaves through the show business industry.
Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the film’s armorer had been expected to testify Friday, but her testimony was delayed. She had already been convicted of involuntary manslaughter and was sentenced to 18 months in prison earlier this year, though is appealing the verdict.
On Wednesday, jurors heard opening statements with prosecutors saying that the Hollywood star skipped safety checks and recklessly handled a revolver prior to the fatal incident.
