Alec Baldwin’s manslaughter trial was dismissed Friday after a judge ruled that key evidence related to the fatal shooting on the set of “Lust” was withheld from the defense.
Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer, presiding in Santa Fe, New Mexico, said the defense had not been provided by police and prosecutors with a bullet that may have been involved in the death of cinematographer Halina Hutchins and that could have helped Baldwin’s case.
The case, which could have carried an 18-month prison sentence if convicted, was suddenly dismissed in a sensational scene that left Hollywood’s top star instantly in tears.
“The state’s deliberate and deliberate concealment of this information was deliberate and premeditated. Even if this conduct does not rise to the level of malice, it clearly comes very close to it and shows signs of severe bias,” Sommer said.
“The court concluded that this conduct was highly prejudicial to the defendant.”
During a rehearsal in October 2021, Baldwin pointed a gun in Hutchinson’s direction, causing the gun to fire, killing Hutchinson and injuring the director.
Hannah Gutierrez, the gunner in the film who carried the loaded deadly weapon, is already serving an 18-month sentence for manslaughter.
Baldwin faces the same charges, with prosecutors alleging he ignored basic gun safety laws and acted recklessly on the set.
Baldwin’s lawyer, Alex Spiro, argued that the actor was not responsible for checking the contents of the murder weapon and did not know it contained live ammunition.
But the defence argument also relied heavily on discrediting the police investigation.
Judge Spiro also presented evidence Thursday that live ammunition possibly connected to the shooting had been turned over to police but not disclosed to Baldwin’s lawyers.
The bullet was handed over to police by a “good Samaritan” earlier this year, more than two years after the “Last” incident.
The “good Samaritan,” a former police officer and family friend of gun manufacturer Gutierrez, told police the bullet matched the one that killed Hutchins.
Spiro accused police of “suppressing evidence” by not presenting it as a “last” case and denying the defense the opportunity to see it.
“It was a perfect plan,” he told the court.
Crime scene technician Marissa Poppel, under questioning by Spiro, said she catalogued the bullets but was told not to classify them as a “rust” case.
Special prosecutor Kari Morrissey responded in haste, telling the court she had never seen or heard any shots until this week.
However, when it emerged that Morrissey had been present at the discussions which decided not to turn over a bullet to the “Rust” case file, Morrissey came forward as a witness himself as a last resort to save the state’s case.
She claimed that the allegedly “buried” bullets did not match the live ammunition used on the set of “Lust” and that they had been stored in another state, Arizona, until the tragic shooting occurred.
Sommer was not convinced and dismissed the lawsuit, sparking emotional scenes between Baldwin and his family.
