In a sudden turn of events in the “Rust” involuntary manslaughter case on the shooting death of Halyna Hutchins, the judge has agreed with a motion filed by actor-producer Alec Baldwin’s legal team to dismiss the charges. Earlier on Friday, we wrote about Baldwin’s antics during part of the proceedings, when he stormed out of the courtroom.
WATCH: Alec Baldwin’s Unbelievable Reaction in the Court
When Prosecutor Talks About His Motive to Lie
But now, it’s over.
via the NYT:
A judge in New Mexico dismissed the case against Alec Baldwin on Friday after finding that the state had withheld evidence that could have shed light on how live rounds got onto a film set where the cinematographer was fatally shot.
The dismissal was with prejudice, meaning that the manslaughter prosecution of Mr. Baldwin is over. Mr. Baldwin had faced up to 18 months in prison if he had been convicted.
“There is no way for the court to right this wrong,” Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer said in court as Mr. Baldwin wept.
Here was the defense’s persuasive argument:
Lawyers for Mr. Baldwin called for the case to be dismissed, accusing the state of failing to disclose that it had been given a batch of rounds said to be connected to the case when the defense asked to review all the ballistic evidence.
“They buried it,” Luke Nikas, a lawyer for Mr. Baldwin, said in court on the third day of the trial. “They put it under a different case with a different number.”
The failure to disclose the new evidence posed a major legal problem because the state is required to turn over key evidence like this to the defense.
We previously wrote about Baldwin seeking a motion to dismiss before the trial began in July. That filing, in late May, was rejected.
Alec Baldwin’s Motion to Dismiss Denied; Trial Set in Accidental Shooting Case
Alec Baldwin motion to dismiss granted👀 pic.twitter.com/eOQdoRgmhR
— iCkEdMeL ☀🔎🔥 (@iCkEdMeL) July 12, 2024
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