A New Mexico judge has thrown out all charges against actor Alec Baldwin in the ‘Rust’ movie shooting case.
This decision ends a legal battle that began in October 2021 when Baldwin accidentally shot and killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on set.
The case took an unexpected turn when Baldwin’s lawyers accused prosecutors of hiding evidence.
They pointed to a set of bullets that investigators had, but didn’t share with the defense team.
This revelation didn’t sit well with Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer.
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“There is no way for the court to right this wrong,” Judge Sommer said, clearly frustrated by the situation.
She dismissed the case “with prejudice,” which means prosecutors can’t bring these charges against Baldwin again.
Holy shit.
The prosecutor just resigned in the middle of a hearing for Alec Baldwin’s manslaughter case, after the judge found that they withheld evidence surrounding how live ammunition got into the gun that he fired while filming the movie “Rust”
The case has been dismissed pic.twitter.com/zVaNPSVhcy
— chris evans (@notcapnamerica) July 12, 2024
Baldwin, famous for roles in “30 Rock” and “Hunt for Red October,” was visibly emotional as the judge announced her decision.
He had been facing involuntary manslaughter charges, which could have led to serious jail time if convicted.
The case’s collapse also led to changes in the prosecution team.
One of the special prosecutors, Erlinda O. Johnson, stepped down from the case on the same day.
While this decision clears Baldwin legally, it doesn’t erase the tragedy at the heart of the case.
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Hutchins, a 42-year-old cinematographer, lost her life, and director Joel Souza was injured when the prop gun Baldwin was holding fired a live round during a rehearsal.