Alec Baldwin Quits in Court After Judge Throws Out ‘Rust’ Shooting Trial

Los Angeles:

Alec Baldwin’s manslaughter trial collapsed spectacularly on Friday when a judge discovered that key evidence about a fatal shooting on the set of “Rust” had been withheld from the defense and dismissed the case.

Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer, who presided over the trial in Santa Fe, New Mexico, said bullets potentially linked to the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, which could have been supportive of Baldwin’s case, were not shared with her lawyers. by police and prosecutors.

The Hollywood star immediately burst into tears as the case – which could have seen him jailed for 18 months if found guilty – was abruptly thrown into sensational scenes.

“The State’s intentional withholding of this information was intentional and deliberate. If this conduct does not rise to the level of bad faith, it will certainly come so close to bad faith that it will show signs of scorching prejudice,” said Marlowe Sommer.

“The court concludes that this conduct is highly prejudicial to the defendant.”

Baldwin was pointing a gun in Hutchins’ direction during a rehearsal in October 2021 when the gun went off, killing Hutchins and injuring the film’s director.

The film’s gunsmith Hannah Gutierrez, who loaded the fatal weapon, is already serving 18 months in prison for manslaughter.

Baldwin faced the same charge. Prosecutors say he ignored basic gun safety laws and acted recklessly on set.

Baldwin’s high-profile attorney, Alex Spiro, argued that the actor had no responsibility to verify the gun’s deadly contents and did not know it contained live ammunition.

But the defense’s case also relied heavily on discrediting the police investigation.

And Spiro on Thursday presented evidence that live bullets potentially linked to the shooting were turned over to police but not disclosed to Baldwin’s lawyers.

‘Buried’

The bullets were turned over to police by a “Good Samaritan” earlier this year, more than two years after the “Rust” tragedy.

The “Good Samaritan” was a former police officer and family friend of Gutierrez, the gunsmith. He told police the bullets matched the shots that killed Hutchins.

Spiro accused the police of having “buried” the evidence by not presenting it in the “Rust” case, depriving the defense of the opportunity to see it.

“What a perfect plan it was,” he told the court.

Crime scene technician Marissa Poppell, questioned by Spiro, said she had cataloged the bullets but was told not to record them in the “Rust” case.

Special prosecutor Kari Morrissey struggled to respond, telling the court she had never seen or heard of the bullets before this week.

But when it was discovered that Morrissey had been present at discussions in which it was decided not to submit the bullets to the “Rust” case file, Morrissey voluntarily declared himself a witness in a last-ditch attempt to save the state’s case.

She claimed that the supposedly “buried” bullets did not match the actual gunshots on the “Rust” set and had been stored in a different state, Arizona, until the day of the tragic shooting.

Marlowe Sommer was unconvinced and ended the case, leading to emotional scenes between Baldwin and his family.

‘Stupefied’

Baldwin is highly unlikely to appear in criminal court again over the shooting, legal experts said, although he could still face civil action.

“As far as criminal cases go, it’s over. They can’t refile,” said Los Angeles attorney Tre Lovell.

“It was rejected with prejudice. To try to do it again would be double jeopardy. You can’t do that.”

University of Richmond law professor Carl Tobias agreed that “on the criminal side, I think it’s done.”

“Prosecutors could try to somehow present an extraordinary appeal. But I don’t think any appellate court will agree with the prosecutor,” he said.

The withheld evidence could benefit Gutierrez, the film’s gunsmith who has already filed an appeal, and David Halls, the film’s first assistant director who accepted a plea deal and admitted negligence.

Christopher Melcher, a Los Angeles lawyer, told AFP he was “flabbergasted” by the sudden collapse of the case.

“The case unfolded as quickly as I’ve ever seen it… It was absolutely incredible to watch.”

(Except the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)