Alec Baldwin’s manslaughter trial came to a dramatic end Friday when a New Mexico judge tossed the case against the actor, finding that the state improperly concealed evidence about how live ammunition was introduced onto the set of the film in which cinematographer Halina Hutchins was shot and killed.
Just a few days after the court hearing began, Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer ruled in favor of the defense and agreed to dismiss charges against Baldwin for the state’s suppression of evidence favorable to the actor. The dismissal on appeal ended the manslaughter case against Baldwin.
“The state’s deliberate and deliberate concealment of information was deliberate and deliberate,” Sommer said. “There is no way for the court to right this error.”
Baldwin, 66, was so relieved by the news that he burst into tears and hugged his lawyer and wife as the judge handed down the sentence. He hurriedly left the courtroom without making a statement to the media.
The evidence in question was live ammunition turned over to New Mexico State Police in March following the conviction of the film’s gunmaker, Hannah Gutierrez Reed. That evidence suggested the live ammunition brought onto the set came from a prop supplier, not the film’s gunmaker, Baldwin’s attorney, Alex Spiro, said.
Witnesses acknowledged to the judge on Friday afternoon that the special prosecutor in the case, Kari Morrissey, was directly involved in the decision to present evidence in an entirely separate case file, separate from the other Rust materials.
The day saw the twists and turns of a Hollywood drama, with Morrissey’s role being revealed, another special prosecutor in the case resigning midday, and Morrissey himself taking the stand. During her testimony, Baldwin’s lawyer asked her if Morrissey had called the actor an “arrogant jerk” or a “bastard” in conversations with witnesses.
The firing marks an abrupt end to the criminal case against Baldwin over the on-set death of Hutchins in Last: The 42-year-old cinematographer was killed by a single live bullet from Baldwin’s gun during rehearsals.
Prosecutors have long argued they have evidence showing Gutierrez Reed, who was convicted of manslaughter in March, was the supplier of the live ammunition, but the defense has argued the state received and “concealed” evidence showing otherwise. Spiro said Thursday that a “good Samaritan” came forward to police this year and brought in a box of ammunition he claimed came from prop supplier Seth Kenney and matched the ammunition that killed Hutchins.
The report of that interview was not included with other evidence in the Rust case and was not shared with Gutierrez-Reed’s lawyers, Spiro said. Alexandria Hancock of the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office testified that she and other staff decided to file the report in an entirely separate case file, separate from the other evidence in the Rust case.
Baldwin’s lawyers said the report pertains to the entire case and the credibility of witnesses who testified at trial.
“If this evidence wasn’t as important as we say it is, they would have turned it over,” Nikas said.
Morrissey had described the motion as a “futile effort” in the morning and said he had never seen a report on the ammunition turned in to the sheriff’s office. But when the judge questioned Hancock, he said Morrissey had been involved in the decision to keep the evidence separate from the Rust case, sparking some surprise in the courtroom.
Morrissey, who previously said the man who possessed the ammunition, Troy Teske, was a friend of Gutierrez Reed’s father, denied the defense’s allegations and said Baldwin’s defense was aware of the evidence presented.
In a highly unusual move, Morrissey took the stand to defend her actions despite instructions from the judge that she did not have to. “I didn’t know at the time that it wasn’t linked to the Rust case number,” she said.
During cross-examination, Spiro asked Morrissey if he disliked Baldwin (Morrissey denied it) and whether he had ever called the actor an “arrogant asshole” or a “bastard” in conversations with witnesses.
She said she didn’t remember anything like that.
“I really appreciate Mr. Baldwin’s films,” she said, “I really appreciate his performances on Saturday Night Live , and I really appreciate his political stances.”
The development upset the prosecution’s case and came as special prosecutor Erlinda Johnson resigned later in the day while Morrissey was testifying.
Baldwin could have faced 18 months in prison if convicted.
