In a surprising turn of events, the trial of actor Alec Baldwin, charged with involuntary manslaughter, has been abruptly terminated by a New Mexico judge. The dismissal came as Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer declared the case could not be resurrected due to police and prosecutors’ mismanagement with regard to withholding crucial evidence pertaining to the tragic shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the movie ‘Rust’.
This abrupt termination of the trial prompted an emotional response from Baldwin, who shared a group hug with his legal counsel before showing his gratitude to the attendees in the gallery, and finally, hugging his tearful wife, Hilaria Baldwin outside the Santa Fe courthouse, departing without addressing the press. Baldwin, aged 66, was facing a potential prison term of 18 months if found guilty.
Judge Marlowe Sommer pointed out that the surfacing of the withheld evidence disrupted the trial to such an extent that it compromised the core fairness of the proceedings. She added that although this might not be classified as ‘bad faith’, this behaviour was approaching that boundary closely enough to almost burn it. The judge paused the trial earlier on Friday to deliberate upon the defense’s request for case dismissal due to evidence withholding.
The defense maintained the stance that the prosecution intentionally concealed information regarding ammunition possibly linked to the 2021 shooting incident on the Western set. They argued for their right to determine the significance of this evidence. In contrast, the prosecution contended that the ammunition had no correlation to the case and was not purposefully hidden.
Sheriff’s crime scene technician Marissa Poppell was questioned about this matter on the trial’s second day. Alex Spiro, Baldwin’s lawyer, enquired whether a ‘good Samaritan’ had brought the ammunition to the sheriff’s office before Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the film’s armourer, was tried for her part in Hutchin’s death. She was convicted of involuntary manslaughter and sentenced to 18 months in prison, a decision she is presently contesting.
Upon the announcement of the case dismissal, Baldwin shed tears of relief and held his lawyers in a celebratory embrace.