Alec's Baldwin's involuntary manslaughter trial was dismissed on Friday, bringing the lengthy legal saga to an abrupt and shocking end, according to reports from NBC and other outlets.
Gasps were reportedly heard and Baldwin sobbed as Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer announced her decision to dismiss the trial, which could have resulted in the actor being sentenced to up to 18 months in prison for the fatal shooting of Rust cinematographer Halyna Hutchins in 2021. Instead, Baldwin will walk free.
“The state is highly culpable for its failure to provide discovery to the defendant,” Sommer said. “Dismissal with prejudice is warranted.”
Baldwin had previously pleaded not guilty to the charges, arguing that he did not pull the trigger of the prop revolver and that he was not aware the revolver contained a live round. Prosecutors presented forensic analysis that suggested the weapon could have only been fired if the trigger was pulled.
During the trial, Baldwin's lawyers argued that the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office took live rounds of ammunition from the scene as evidence, but that it did not record them in the official case file and hid them from the defense. The assertion led to one of the two special prosecutors, Erlinda Johnson, to resign from the case and Sommer to send jury the home on Friday morning while she investigated.
According to Variety's report, Sommer subsequently grilled Santa Fe County Sherriff's Detective Alexandria Hancock about why the bullets were logged under a separate case number, with Hancock saying the decision was made in consultation with her supervisors and the lead prosecutor, Kari Morrissey. Morrissey herself subsequently argued that she did not believe that the bullets had evidentiary value.
BREAKING: Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer dismissed the 'Rust' moving shooting case with prejudice against #AlecBaldwin. When Baldwin heard her ruling, he started to sob and later hugged his family. Baldwin was facing an involuntary manslaughter charge. pic.twitter.com/v9gfv2xd92
— Law&Crime Network (@LawCrimeNetwork) July 12, 2024
The dismissal is the culmination of years of legal battlings over Hutchins' fatal shooting on the set of the western Rust. Baldwin expressed "shock and sadness" after the accident and said that he was fully cooperating the police. Charges against Baldwin were dropped in April 2023, but the actor was hit again with an involuntary manslaughter charge this past January as the investigation continued.
In the meantime, Rust armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter and sentenced to 18 months in prison. First assistant director David Halls pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor charge of negligent use of a deadly weapon and was sentenced to six months of unsupervised probation. Rust eventually completed filming last May.
After the case was dismissed, Baldwin exited the courthouse and did not address the media gathered outside. We will continue to update this story as more information becomes available.
Kat Bailey is IGN's News Director as well as co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Have a tip? Send her a DM at @the_katbot.
