Alec Baldwin was seen crying tears of joy as the judge surprisingly dismissed the involuntary manslaughter trial related to the fatal shooting of Halyna Hutchins. The First Judicial District Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer granted the motion to dismiss the case brought by Baldwin’s legal team. The defense claimed that prosecutors had hidden evidence potentially linked to the investigation, including live ammunition that was presented to local law enforcement.
The legal team of Baldwin accused prosecutors of concealing evidence and relying on assumptions regarding the live rounds being brought to the movie set by the armorer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed. Gutierrez-Reed had already been convicted in her own involuntary manslaughter trial back in March and was sentenced to 18 months in prison. However, her lawyers plan to move to have her case dismissed following the news of Baldwin’s trial being scrapped.
In the motion for dismissal, Baldwin’s defense mentioned that evidence potentially pointing to an external source of the live ammunition was concealed by the state, referring to the Rust prop firearm supplier Seth Kenney. Judge Sommer criticized the state for its discovery violation, which caused delays in the trial, approached bad faith, and was highly prejudicial to the defendant.
After the judge announced the dismissal, Alec Baldwin hugged his wife, Hilaria, and broke down in tears while covering his face with his hands. The judge stated that there was no way to right the wrong done by the state, and the only warranted remedy was the dismissal of the case.
The involuntary manslaughter trial against Baldwin was on its third day in New Mexico when it was dismissed. If convicted, Baldwin could have faced 18 months in prison for the shooting incident that occurred at Bonanza Creek Ranch in October 2021. In the filing submitted by Baldwin’s lawyers, they emphasized that the actor was unaware of the risk of live ammunition being present on the set of Rust and that the state was trying to establish a link between Baldwin and the source of the live ammunition.
Overall, the emotional moment in the courtroom as Alec Baldwin’s trial was dismissed came as a surprise to many, including the actor himself. The legal battle surrounding the tragic shooting incident involving Halyna Hutchins continues to unfold, with implications for all parties involved.