SANTA FE, N.M. — A New Mexico judge on Friday brought a sudden and stunning end to the involuntary manslaughter case against Alec Baldwin, dismissing it in the middle of the actor's trial and saying it cannot be filed again.
Actor Alec Baldwin reacts after the judge threw out the involuntary manslaughter case for the 2021 fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins during filming of the Western movie "Rust," Friday, July 12, 2024, at Santa Fe County District Court in Santa Fe, N.M. Pool Video Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer dismissed the case based on the misconduct of police and prosecutors over the withholding of evidence from the defense in the 2021 shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the film “Rust.
” Baldwin cried, hugged his two attorneys, gestured to the front of the court, then turned to hug his crying wife Hilaria, the mother of seven of his eight children, holding the embrace for 12 seconds. He climbed into an SUV outside the Santa Fe courthouse without speaking to media. People are also reading.
.. “The late discovery of this evidence during trial has impeded the effective use of evidence in such a way that it has impacted the fundamental fairness of the proceedings,” Marlowe Sommer said.
“If this conduct does not rise to the level of bad faith it certainly comes so near to bad faith to show signs of scorching.” The decision ends the criminal culpability of the 66-year-old Baldwin after a nearly three-year saga that began when a revolver he was pointing at Hutchins during a rehearsal went off, killing her and wounding director Joel Souza. Actor Alec Baldwin reacts after the judge threw out the involuntary manslaughter case for the 2021 fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins during filming of the Western movie "Rust," Friday, July 12, 2024, at Santa Fe County District Court in Santa Fe, N.
M. POOL VIDEO Hilaria Baldwin, left, wife of actor Alec Baldwin, and his sister Elizabeth Keuchler react during Alec Baldwin's trial for involuntary manslaughter for the 2021 fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins during filming of the Western movie "Rust," Friday, July 12, 2024, at Santa Fe County District Court in Santa Fe, N.M.
RAMSAY DE GIVE, Associated Press The career of the “Hunt for Red October” and “30 Rock” star and frequent “Saturday Night Live” host — who has been a household name for more than three decades — had been put into doubt, and he could have gotten 18 months in prison if convicted. He and other producers still face civil lawsuits from Hutchins' parents and sister. Sommer put a pause on the trial earlier Friday while she considered the defense motion to dismiss the case over ammunition evidence they say prosecutors hid from them that may have been related to the shooting on the set of the Western “Rust” in 2021.
The defense said they should have had the ability to determine its importance. The prosecution said that the ammunition was not connected to the case and was not hidden. Listen now and subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | RSS Feed | SoundStack The issue emerged Thursday on the second day of the actor’s trial during defense questioning of sheriff’s crime scene technician Marissa Poppell.
Baldwin lawyer Alex Spiro asked whether a “good Samaritan” had come into the sheriff’s office with the ammunition earlier this year at the end of the trial of Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the film’s armorer, for her role in Hutchins’ death. She was sentenced to 18 months in prison on an involuntary manslaughter conviction, which she is now appealing. The evidence was not put into the same file as the rest of the “Rust” case, and was not presented to Baldwin's defense team when they examined the ballistics evidence in April.
The man who supplied ammunition was a close friend of Gutierrez-Reed's father, movie armorer Thell Reed. Special prosecutor Kari Morrissey argued that the move from the men was part of an attempt by Reed to shift blame away from his daughter. “This is a wild goose chase that has no evidentiary value whatsoever,” Morrissey told the judge Friday.
“This is just a man trying to protect his daughter.” The case's other special prosecutor, Erlinda Ocampo Johnson, resigned from the case earlier Friday. Spiro asked whether she had resigned based on the evidence issues being discussed.
Morrissey said she believed it was over the holding of the public hearing itself. Speaking outside the courthouse doors, Morrissey said she respects the judge’s decision but that there was no reason to believe the undisclosed evidence in question was related to the set of “Rust.” “The importance of the evidence was misconstrued by the defense attorneys,” she said.
“We did everything humanly possible to bring justice to Halyna and to her family and we’re proud of the work we did." Read more: Alec Baldwin weeps in court when judge announces involuntary manslaughter case dismissed midtrial From 'Red October' to '30 Rock,' a look at Alec Baldwin's career on eve of 'Rust' shooting trial Alec Baldwin's involuntary manslaughter case has been dismissed. Here's key things to know Key players: Who's who at Alec Baldwin's trial for the fatal shooting of a cinematographer Alec Baldwin goes on trial in ‘Rust’ set shooting Hilaria Baldwin, right, speaks to her husband, actor Alec Baldwin, during his trial for involuntary manslaughter for the 2021 fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins during filming of the Western movie "Rust," Friday, July 12, 2024, at Santa Fe County District Court in Santa Fe, N.
M. A New Mexico judge on Friday brought a sudden and stunning end to the involuntary manslaughter case against Alec Baldwin, dismissing it in the middle of the actor's trial and saying it cannot be filed again. Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer dismissed the case with prejudice based on the misconduct of police and prosecutors over the withholding of evidence from the defense in the shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the film “Rust.
” Ramsay de Give, Associated Press Pictures of evidence are seen during actor Alec Baldwin's trial for involuntary manslaughter for the 2021 fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins during filming of the Western movie "Rust," Friday, July 12, 2024, at Santa Fe County District Court in Santa Fe, N.M. Ramsay de Give, Associated Press Actor Alec Baldwin reacts after the judge threw out the involuntary manslaughter case for the 2021 fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins during filming of the Western movie "Rust," Friday, July 12, 2024, at Santa Fe County District Court in Santa Fe, N.
M. POOL VIDEO Actor Alec Baldwin reacts after the judge threw out the involuntary manslaughter case for the 2021 fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins during filming of the Western movie "Rust," Friday, July 12, 2024, at Santa Fe County District Court in Santa Fe, N.M.
POOL VIDEO Hilaria Baldwin, left, wife of actor Alec Baldwin, and his sister Elizabeth Keuchler react during Alec Baldwin's trial for involuntary manslaughter for the 2021 fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins during filming of the Western movie "Rust," Friday, July 12, 2024, at Santa Fe County District Court in Santa Fe, N.M. The judge threw out the case against Alec Baldwin in the middle of his trial and said it cannot be filed again.
RAMSAY DE GIVE, Associated Press Actor Alec Baldwin reacts during his trial for involuntary manslaughter for the 2021 fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins during filming of the Western movie "Rust," Friday, July 12, 2024, at Santa Fe County District Court in Santa Fe, N.M. The judge threw out the case against Baldwin in the middle of his trial and said it cannot be filed again.
RAMSAY DE GIVE, Associated Press Actor Alec Baldwin reacts during his trial for involuntary manslaughter for the 2021 fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins during filming of the Western movie "Rust," Friday, July 12, 2024, at Santa Fe County District Court in Santa Fe, N.M. The judge threw out the case against Baldwin in the middle of his trial and said it cannot be filed again.
RAMSAY DE GIVE, Associated Press Actor Alec Baldwin and his wife Hilaria Baldwin leave District Court following the day's proceedings in his involuntary manslaughter trial July 10 in Santa Fe, N.M. Baldwin, the star and co-producer of the Western, was pointing a revolver at cinematographer Halyna Hutchins during a rehearsal in a small church on the movie set at Bonanza Creek Ranch when the gun went off, killing her and wounding director Joel Souza.
Baldwin has said he pulled back the hammer — but not the trigger — and the gun fired. It has never been officially determined who brought the live rounds that killed Hutchins on to the set. Prosecutors at the previous trial of “Rust” armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed alleged that she was responsible.
She was convicted of involuntary manslaughter and sentenced to the same 18 months in prison Baldwin faces. Roberto E. Rosales, Associated Press Actor Alec Baldwin, left, and attorney Luke Nikas listen during a hearing July 10 in Baldwin's involuntary manslaughter trial over a fatal shooting on the set of the film, "Rust," in District Court, in Santa Fe, N.
M. The trial at the First Judicial District Court of New Mexico — about 20 miles northeast of the movie set and the shooting — is projected to last nine days, and Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer insists that she’ll keep the lawyers in line and on schedule. Jury selection begins Tuesday, with opening statements expected Wednesday, and the projected end the following Friday.
Once the jurors get the case, however, they can deliberate as long as needed. Ross D. Franklin, Associated Press Actor Alec Baldwin, left, embraces his brother, actor Stephen Baldwin, during a break July 10 in his involuntary manslaughter trial over a fatal shooting on the set of the film, "Rust," in District Court, in Santa Fe, N.
M. Baldwin, 66, emerged as a major movie star in the late 1980s and early ‘90s through films like “Beetlejuice” and “The Hunt for Red October,” and has remained a household name ever since. He would move on to memorable supporting roles in films including 2003’s “The Cooler,” which got him an Oscar nomination.
Comedy dominated his later career as he won two Emmys for playing network executive Jack Donaghy on six seasons of “30 Rock,” and won a third for playing Donald Trump on “Saturday Night Live.” He has also played the role of outsized public personality, as a cherished talk-show guest, a sought-after liberal, and at times as a man unable to control his outbursts of anger, which have brought public embarrassment and a previous run-in with the law much more minor than the current one. Baldwin is the eldest of six children — five of them actors — from Massapequa, New York, who has lived in New York City for most of his adult life.
He has an adult daughter, Ireland Baldwin, with his first wife Kim Basinger, and seven small children with his second wife, Hilaria Baldwin. Ross D. Franklin, Associated Press Actor Alec Baldwin, left, sits with his lawyer Luke Nikas, July 8 in District Court in Santa Fe, N.
M. Baldwin will bring with him an elite legal team of mostly New York-based attorneys, many of them Harvard Law graduates, from the firm of Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan. Alex Spiro, a 41-year-old defense attorney who has represented Elon Musk, Megan Thee Stallion and other prominent figures and has become among the most sought-after lawyers in the country, will give aggressive cross-examination to the state's witnesses.
The defense will try to show that it is not the job of an actor to make sure real rounds are not in his gun, a position strongly supported by Baldwin’s union, the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists. Baldwin said in an interview with ABC News, and implied in interviews with authorities, that he never pulled the revolver's trigger. His lawyers will also attack the gun evidence, and the serious damage done to the revolver during an FBI test they say amounted to the destruction of evidence and left the defense no chance to examine it.
Luis Sánchez Saturno, Santa Fe New Mexican Alec Baldwin wipes his eyes July 8 during a hearing in his involuntary manslaughter trial over a fatal shooting on the set of the film, "Rust," in Santa Fe, N.M. Prosecutors have two alternative standards for proving the charge.
One is based on the negligent use of a firearm. The other is proving beyond a reasonable doubt that Baldwin acted with total disregard or indifference for the safety of others. Despite the legal and technical complexities of the case, the 12 citizens of Santa Fe County that will make up the jury will have to reach just one verdict — guilty or not guilty — on a single count.
Ross D. Franklin, Associated Press Actor Alec Baldwin listens during a hearing July 10 in his involuntary manslaughter trial over a fatal shooting on the set of the film, "Rust," in District Court in Santa Fe, N.M.
Ross D. Franklin, Associated Press Alec Baldwin speaks with investigators following a fatal shooting Oct. 21, 2021, on the movie set "Rust" in Santa Fe, N.
M. Santa Fe, New Mexico's capital, an arts mecca of 89,000 people and a tourist destination for its historic Southwestern beauty, is no small town. And its downtown modern legal complex is hardly a country courthouse.
But the location is still a far cry from the coastal urban courts where the celebrity trials of Bill Cosby, O.J. Simpson, Harvey Weinstein and Donald Trump were held.
Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office Actor Alec Baldwin listens July 10 during a hearing in his involuntary manslaughter trial over a fatal shooting on the set of the film, "Rust," in District Court, in Santa Fe, N.M. Ross D.
Franklin, Associated Press Special prosecutor Kari Morrissey listens July 8 during Alec Baldwin's pretrial hearing in his involuntary manslaughter trial over a fatal shooting on the set of the film, "Rust," in Santa Fe, N.M. Ross D.
Franklin, Associated Press Actor Alec Baldwin arrives July 10 at District Court for jury selection in his involuntary manslaughter trial, in Santa Fe, N.M. Roberto E.
Rosales, Associated Press A video scene from the film, "Rust" showing actor Alec Baldwin is viewed July 10 during a hearing in his involuntary manslaughter trial, in District Court in Santa Fe, N.M. Ross D.
Franklin, Associated Press Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer listens July 8 during a preliminary hearing in Alec Baldwin's involuntary manslaughter trial over a fatal shooting on the set of the film, "Rust," in Santa Fe, N.M. Ross D.
Franklin, Associated Press Attorney Alex Spiro listens July 10 during actor Alec Baldwin's involuntary manslaughter trial over a fatal shooting on the set of the film, "Rust," in District Court, in Santa Fe, N.M. Ross D.
Franklin, Associated Press Actor Stephen Baldwin and Hilaria Baldwin, wife of Alec Baldwin, listen July 10 during actor Alec Baldwin's involuntary manslaughter trial over a fatal shooting on the set of the film, "Rust," in District Court, in Santa Fe, N.M. Ross D.
Franklin, Associated Press Actor Alec Baldwin talks July 10 with his wife Hilaria Baldwin during his involuntary manslaughter trial over a fatal shooting on the set of the film, "Rust," in District Court in Santa Fe, N.M. Ross D.
Franklin, Associated Press A musician plays a violin behind a photograph of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins during a vigil in her honor in Albuquerque, N.M., Oct.
23, 2021. Andres Leighton, Associated Press This aerial photo shows the movie set of "Rust" at Bonanza Creek Ranch in Santa Fe, N.M.
, Oct. 23, 2021. The crew members inside the small church building who became eyewitnesses to Hutchins' killing will provide the trial's most essential testimony.
They include director Joel Souza, who was himself shot and wounded by the bullet from Baldwin's gun, and assistant director David Halls, who some said was responsible for the shooting but pleaded no contest to negligent handling of a firearm. Prosecutors convinced a judge just before trial to exclude a summary of a workplace safety report that puts much of the blame for the shooting on Halls. Zac Sneesby, a crew member who was holding a boom microphone during the rehearsal, will testify that he saw Baldwin pull the trigger of the revolver, prosecutors said in court filings, making him potentially the most important witness of all.
Prosecutors also may call Gutierrez-Reed to the stand, but Marlowe Sommer rejected an immunity deal they wanted to give her. Jae C. Hong, Associated Press Actor Stephen Baldwin and his sister Elizabeth Keuchler exit the courtroom July 10 after their brother Alec Baldwin's hearing in District Court, in Santa Fe, N.
M. Ross D. Franklin, Associated Press Be the first to know.
