IT'S OVER
Alec Baldwin’s manslaughter case dismissed after judge pauses trial due to new evidence and prosecutor abruptly resigns
Photos showed the movie star scowling in court earlier this week
ALEC Baldwin's manslaughter case has been dismissed after a New Mexico judge discovered prosecutors were withholding key evidence.
He wept in court and embraced his wife Hilaria after Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer delivered her ruling on the involuntary manslaughter charge on Friday.
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Baldwin, 66, was on trial for allegedly fatally shooting cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and wounding director Joel Souza on the set of the film Rust in October 2021.
The Academy Award-winning actor hugged his lawyers and wife after the case was dismissed.
Photos showed the couple, who have been married since 2012, in a tight embrace with both brought to tears.
“There is no way for the court to right this wrong,” the judge said.
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"The sanction of dismissal is the only warranted remedy."
The actor did not address the media when leaving the courthouse.
WITHHELD EVIDENCE
Baldwin's trial was put on hold earlier Friday as Baldwin's defense team issued a motion calling for the case to be dismissed over hidden evidence, according to the Associated Press.
His lawyers claimed the prosecution hid evidence about ammunition that might be related to Hutchins' death.
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"We don't know if it's a live ammunition match or not," attorney Lukas Nikas told the judge.
"But we do know that the state had it, and it's disclosable."
Alec Baldwin's Rust shooting trial begins after wife Hilaria 'hauls baby to court in strategic move' to support husband
Prosecutors have denied any evidence was hidden, claiming the ammunition was not connected to the trial.
The ammunition in question was reportedly obtained from Troy Teske, a friend of the father of Hannah Guiterrez-Reed, who worked as the armorer on the film.
Gutierrez-Reed has already been convicted of involuntary manslaughter in Hutchins' death and was sentenced to 18 months in prison.
Kari Morrissey, the special prosecutor, said in court that the ammunition brought up by the defense was not the same size or of the same chemical composition as the bullets found on the set of the film.
“This is a wild goose chase that has no evidentiary value whatsoever,” Morrissey said, according to the Associated Press.
“This is just a man trying to protect his daughter.”
The ammunition was introduced to the case on Friday and brought into the courtroom in a manila envelope, according to the New York Times.
Dramatic photos showed Marlowe wearing a pair of blue gloves as she cut open the package with a pair of scissors inside the courtroom.
Timeline of events post the fatal shooting
HALYNA Hutchins was killed on the set of Western blockbuster 'Rust' - here is a timeline of key events that followed the tragedy.
October 6, 2021 - Production on Rust begins in Sante Fe, New Mexico
October 21, 2021 - Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins is shot and killed by a prop gun actor Alec Baldwin was rehearsing with
Nov 17, 2021 - The script supervisor files a lawsuit accusing Baldwin of 'playing Russian roulette' by pointing a revolver at Hutchins
Dec 2, 2021 - Baldwin speaks out and denies pulling the trigger and said he has 'no idea' why live rounds were on set
Jan 12, 2022 - Armourer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed files a lawsuit against the ammunition box manufacturer for 'failing to state the boxes contained both live and dummy rounds'
Feb 15, 2922 - Hutchins' family files wrongful death suit against Rust's producers
April 20, 2022 - Rust production fined over failures that led to 'avoidable death'
October 5, 2022 - Hutchins' family reaches a settlement with the production company and Baldwin
Nov 11, 2022 - Baldwin files lawsuit alleging negligence of several crew members
Jan 31, 2023 - Involuntary manslaughter charges announced against Baldwin and Gutierrez-Reed
Feb 23, 2023 - Baldwin pleads not guilty
March 31, 2023 - David Hall, Rust's first assistant director, was sentenced to six months probation after pleading guilty to unsafe handling of a firearm
April 20, 2023 - Manslaughter charges against Baldwin dropped
June 22, 2023 - Gutierrez-Reed additionally charged with tampering with evidence
August 9, 2023 - The armorer pleads not guilty
Jan 19, 2024 - Baldwin indicted by grand jury again for manslaughter
Jan 31, 2024 - Baldwin again pleads not guilty
April 15, 2024 - Gutierrez-Reed was sentenced to 18 months in prison for involuntary manslaughter
June 21, 2024 - Baldwin and lawyers were denied dismissal of involuntary manslaughter charge by a New Mexico judge
July 9, 2024 - Rust trial begins
At one point, the judge came down from the bench and stood at a table in the center of the courtroom to examine the rounds.
At least one round of the bullets introduced reportedly resembles ammunition collected from the Rust set, according to the outlet.
Baldwin looked on and jotted down notes as Marlowe examined the bullets.
Photos showed Baldwin appearing to be emotional in court when the trial was put on hold, resting his head on his wife's arm as she embraced him.
MOTION HEARING
To rule on the dismissal, the judge held a public hearing on Friday without the jury present.
Baldwin's attorneys insisted that the evidence had been "concealed" by the prosecution, claiming it was filed under a different case number.
Defense attorney Luke Nikas went on to describe the discovered ammunition as "critical" evidence that was required to be disclosed.
Nikas said that the evidence was "concealed" due to the bullets being placed under a different case number.
During the hearing, it was also uncovered that prosecutor Erlina Johnson, the other prosecutor on the case, had resigned from the case the same day.
Morrissey reportedly claimed it was due to Johnson's disapproval of the public hearing, according to ABC News.
Morrissey also argued that Bowles did not want the ammunition from Teske.
"It was the best evidence against his client," Morrissey said regarding the source of the live bullets on set.
She testified that the rounds provided by Teske did not strike her as having any "significant evidentiary value."
"There is absolutely nothing about the ammunition that Troy Teske had that has any evidentiary value in the Gutierrez case," Morrissey said.
"It has no evidentiary value in the Baldwin case," she continued.
Her reasoning for this was that the bullets never left Arizona and appeared dissimilar to the live rounds found on the set based on a photo of the ammunition provided by Gutierrez's attorney, Jason Bowles.
"They were hiding the ball until called out on it in trial," Bowels said in a statement.
"If you want to get to the truth, you run down all leads," Bowels' statement continued.
START OF THE TRIAL
Baldwin's trial began earlier this week with his defense attorneys arguing that he committed no crime and was simply doing his job as an actor on set.
Hutchins was killed in October 2021 when Baldwin was using what he thought was a prop gun with fake bullets.
However, the actor was unaware that Gutierrez-Reed had mistakenly loaded a live bullet into the weapon.
Prosecutors have claimed that Baldwin was reckless with a firearm on the set, endangering others.
Baldwin has insisted that he never fired the gun, only simply cocked its hammer.
However, prosecutors have argued the gun could not have been fired otherwise.
"He pointed the gun at another human being, cocked the hammer, and pulled that trigger in reckless disregard for Ms. Hutchins' safety," Johnson said Wednesday.
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"The only true and just verdict in this case, so that true justice can be served, is a verdict of guilty of involuntary manslaughter."
Baldwin was facing up to 18 months in jail if convicted.
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