The New Mexico judge overseeing actor Alec Baldwin’s “Rust” case dismissed manslaughter charges midway through Friday’s trial, ruling that the state withheld evidence and the case could not be retried.
In handing down the court’s ruling, Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer said the withholding of evidence, relating to bullets turned over to authorities during the investigation, was “intentional and deliberate.”
“The state’s discovery violation injected an unnecessary and incurable delay into the instant jury trial. Dismissal with prejudice is justified to ensure the integrity of the judicial system and the efficient administration of justice,” Sommer said in his ruling.
Baldwin burst into tears as she announced her decision before hugging his wife, who was sitting in the gallery.
The dismissal was largely based on misconduct by police and prosecutors, who were accused of withholding evidence from the defense.
“The court concludes that this conduct is highly prejudicial to the defendant. The jury has been sworn. Danger is attached, and this disclosure during the trial is so late that it undermines the defendant’s preparation for trial,” Sommer continued. “There is no way the court can correct this error.”
“The defense is not in a position to test the state’s theory regarding the origin of the live bullets that killed Ms. Hutchins,” she added. “The State is highly culpable in failing to provide this discovery to the defendant.”
The judge’s decision to drop the case came after numerous failed dismissal attempts by Baldwin’s team.
Jury selection in the trial began Tuesday — nearly three years after the deadly shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on a Western film set in New Mexico.
Baldwin, 66, pleaded not guilty and maintained throughout the case that he was not criminally responsible for unintentionally firing a live bullet from the revolver used on set. Movie guns are typically loaded with film-safe cartridges, as live ammunition is prohibited on film sets.
Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the film’s gunsmith, was convicted of manslaughter in March and sentenced to 18 months in prison after prosecutors argued that she brought live ammunition to the set despite rules against doing so and did not follow protocols. gun safety measures that could have prevented the shooting. Gutierrez-Reed appeals his conviction.
The production team resumed filming “Rust” in Montana last year and is expected to be released in 2024 or later.
Zach Schonfeld contributed reporting.
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
