As a New Mexico court dismissed the involuntary manslaughter lawsuit against him for a fatal shooting on the Rust film set, Alec Baldwin sobbed. Three days into Baldwin’s trial in Santa Fe, the proceedings came to an abrupt end in a courthouse a short distance from the scene where cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was shot by Mr. Baldwin as he was practicing with a handgun. Since the filming in October 2021, this is the second time the actor’s case has been dropped. He won’t face trial once more.
His attorneys claimed that prosecutors and police had concealed evidence, including a cache of ammunition that may have been related to the incident. The inquiry and errors made by the authorities who processed the scene have been questioned by Mr. Baldwin’s attorneys. Their move to dismiss caused an extraordinary chain of events that included the resignation of one of the two special prosecutors overseeing the case and the jury’s dismissal so that more witnesses could testify. The bullets were submitted in a different case with a different number, but Mr. Baldwin’s attorney said they might be connected to Ms. Hutchins’ passing.
The ammunition did not match the rounds discovered on the Rust set, according to the prosecution, and was unrelated to the crime. Nonetheless, the judge decided that they ought to have been disclosed to Mr. Baldwin’s legal team. “The state’s wilful withholding of this information was intentional and deliberate,” she stated.
Due to the judge’s decision to dismiss the case with prejudice rather than declare it a mistrial, prosecutors will not be able to file charges against Baldwin in the future. It was the choice to go nuclear. Joshua Ritter, a trial lawyer in Los Angeles, told the BBC that the matter had concluded. In court, the actor gave his weeping wife, Hilaria, a hug.
The court heard testimony on the bullets from several witnesses, including Mr. Kenney and the lead authorities in the case, after the judge sent the jury home on Friday.
Kari Morrissey, one of the primary prosecutors in the case, testified toward the end of the hearing regarding the bullets and the reason they weren’t given to the defense. A prosecutor’s testimony in a case where they played a part in the investigation is extremely uncommon. According to Ms. Morrissey’s testimony, the ammo had “no evidentiary value.” As the judge considered dismissing the case, she said on the stand that Erlinda Ocampo Johnson, her co-prosecutor, had resigned on Friday.