Judge in Alec Baldwin manslaughter trial dismisses case

SANTE FE, New Mexico — In a surprising turn of events, the judge in Alec Baldwin’s manslaughter trial dismissed the case Friday, agreeing with the actor’s lawyers that prosecutors hid evidence that may have been linked to the director’s fatal shooting. photographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the western film “Rust” in 2021.

“There is no way for the court to correct this error,” said First Judicial District Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer. “The sanction of dismissal is the only guaranteed remedy.”

Baldwin, 66, sobbed and put his face in his hands as Sommer announced his decision. He then hugged his wife, Hilaria, as lawyers and spectators began to file out of the courtroom.

Baldwin could have been sentenced to up to 18 months in prison if jurors had unanimously agreed that he committed the crime. The actor was rehearsing a scene at Bonanza Creek Ranch in Santa Fe County on Oct. 21, 2021, when the revolver he was holding went off, killing Hutchins, 42, and injuring director Joel Souza.

The actor, best known for his role on “30 Rock” and appearances on “Saturday Night Live,” has pleaded not guilty. He claims he did not know the revolver contained a live bullet and that it went off accidentally after he followed instructions to point it at Hutchins.

Baldwin’s attorneys asserted that the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office took possession of live ammunition rounds as evidence but did not record them in the official case file or reveal their existence to the actor’s defense team.

Kari Morrissey, the special prosecutor on the case, said the disputed ammunition was neither connected to the case nor hidden from Baldwin’s lawyers. She argued that the bullets were not the same size or composition as real bullets recovered from the “Rust” set — including the one that killed Hutchins, 42 — and described the dispute as a “futile pursuit that has no probative value.”

Marissa Poppell, a sheriff’s office crime scene technician who testified this week, said the bullets were not hidden from Baldwin’s attorneys and rejected Baldwin attorney Alex Spiro’s claim that the .45 Colt ammunition matched the bullet. who killed Hutchins at Bonanza Creek Ranch in Santa Fe County on October 21, 2021.

The .45 Colt bullets were turned over to the sheriff’s office in March by former police officer Troy Teske, a friend of Thell Reed, stepfather of gunsmith “Rust” Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the same day she was convicted of manslaughter in Hutchins’ death. Prosecutors described Teske as a “good Samaritan.”

Gutierrez-Reed was sentenced to 18 months in prison, but the dismissal of Baldwin’s case could lead to her conviction being overturned.

The actor and his team had already scored a major legal victory this week when First Judicial District Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer ruled in a pretrial hearing on Monday that his role as co-producer of “Rust” was not relevant. for the trial. The move prevented prosecutors from arguing that he had a special responsibility on set.

Baldwin is a three-time Emmy winner known for NBC’s “30 Rock” and his record 17 stints as host of NBC’s “Saturday Night Live.” He appeared in films such as “Beetlejuice,” “The Hunt for Red October,” “Glengarry Glen Ross” and “The Cooler,” the last of which earned him an Oscar nomination.

The road to judgment was paved with twists and turns.

Baldwin was originally charged with involuntary manslaughter and firearm enhancement, but the latter charge was eventually dropped. The charges were dismissed outright in April 2023 when prosecutors cited “new facts in the case.” Then, in January, a grand jury indicted him again on manslaughter charges.

Baldwin’s lawyers asked the judge last month to dismiss the case, arguing that the firearm was severely damaged during forensic testing at an FBI laboratory. But this motion was denied.