The New Mexico judge presiding over actor Alec Baldwin’s “Lust” case dismissed a manslaughter charge midway through trial on Friday, saying the state had suppressed evidence and the case could not be retried.
Sentencing, Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer said the suppression of evidence relating to the bullets, which was handed over to police during the investigation, was “deliberate and deliberate”.
“The State’s discovery violations caused an unnecessary and irreparable delay in obtaining a speedy jury trial. Dismissal on appeal is justified to ensure the integrity of the judicial system and the efficient administration of justice,” Judge Sommer wrote in his ruling.
As Judge Baldwin announced the verdict, he embraced his wife, who was sitting in the courtroom, and broke down in tears.
The drop in charges was due primarily to misconduct by police and prosecutors, who were accused of withholding evidence by the defence.
“The court concluded that this conduct was extremely prejudicial to the defendant. The jury was sworn. The danger was imminent, and this disclosure came too late during the trial, undermining the defendant’s trial preparations,” Sommer continued. “There is no way for the court to correct this error.”
“The defense is not in a position to test the state’s theory as to the source of the live ammunition that killed Mr. Hutchins,” she added. “The state bears significant responsibility for failing to inform the defendant of this discovery.”
The judge’s decision to dismiss the case came after Baldwin’s lawyers repeatedly tried and failed to have it dismissed.
Jury selection for the trial began Tuesday, nearly three years after cinematographer Halina Hutchins was shot and killed on the set of a Western movie in New Mexico.
Baldwin, 66, maintained his innocence and maintained throughout his trial that he was not criminally responsible for unwittingly firing live ammunition from a prop revolver used on set. Live ammunition is prohibited on movie sets, so movie guns are typically loaded with blanks, making them safe for filming.
The film’s firearms officer, Hannah Gutierrez Reed, was convicted of manslaughter in March and sentenced to 18 months in prison. Prosecutors argued that she ignored regulations by bringing live ammunition onto the set and failed to follow gun safety procedures that could have prevented the shooting. Gutierrez Reed is appealing her conviction.
The team resumed filming on Lust in Montana last year, with the film due for release sometime in 2024 or later.
Zach Schoenfeld contributed reporting.
