Judge In Alec Baldwin Case Issues Shock Ruling After New Evidence Comes To Light
Moments ago, the judge in Alec Baldwin’s involuntary manslaughter trial dismissed the case, agreeing with the motion by defense attorneys, which argued that prosecutors concealed evidence regarding ammunition linked to the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the Western movie “Rust” in 2021.
In the motion to dismiss, Baldwin’s attorneys said that prosecutors and Santa Fe sheriffs had concealed evidence from Baldwin that emerged in March, after the conclusion of the trial of the indie Western’s armorer. The filing says that on March 6, retired Arizona police officer Troy Teske turned over a collection of live ammunition to the Santa Fe sheriff’s office, where the bullets were accepted by crime scene technician Marissa Poppell, but not inventoried with the Rust case.
Teske told Poppell that among the rounds he was handing over that day were Starline brass casings with nickel primers, matching the live bullet that killed Hutchins, according to Baldwin’s filing. The sheriff department’s knowledge and possession of the rounds was not disclosed to the defense, nor were they presented at the defense’s evidence viewing April 16.
First Judicial District Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer stated, “The sanction of dismissal is the only warranted remedy” in the case. Baldwin, 66, immediately began sobbing as Sommer delivered her decision.
If convicted, Baldwin could have faced up to 18 months in prison. The shooting occurred while the actor was rehearsing a scene at the Bonanza Creek Ranch in Santa Fe County on October 21, 2021. The prop revolver he was holding discharged, killing Hutchins, 42, and wounding director Joel Souza.
Baldwin, who pleaded not guilty, claimed he was unaware that the revolver contained a live round and that it discharged accidentally following instructions to point it towards Hutchins.
The defense argued that the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office had taken live rounds of ammunition as evidence but failed to record them in the official case file or disclose their existence to Baldwin’s defense team.
