Alec Baldwin in tears: Manslaughter trial dismissed

The process for manslaughter against the actor Alec Baldwin for the death of the director of photography Halyna Hutchins, It has been archived. The decision was made by New Mexico Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer for procedural defect. Specifically, the judge agreed with the defense on the concealment, by the State, of some evidence important to determine what had happened in 2021 on the set of the film Rust, of which Baldwin was producer and star.

During rehearsals for a scene on the set, which featured Baldwin holding a gun, a shot was fired from the weapon that had been handed to the actor, striking and killing 42-year-old Halyna Hutchins who was behind the camera. The gun had been handed to Baldwin by an assistant director who, upon handing it to him, confirmed that it was a a “cold” or unloaded weapon. The person responsible for controlling weapons on the set, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, who was sentenced to 18 months in prison for manslaughter, as she was held responsible for the presence of real bullets on the set.

The evidence that was instrumental in Judge Sommer’s decision is a group of real bulletswho were present on the set and had been handed over to the police by witness Troy Teske but who had been filed as «material external to the case». When Teske spoke about these bullets in court, the judge discovered that they were not among the evidence given to the defense, led by Luke Nikas and Alex Spiro, according to which that gesture had been made voluntarily to convict Baldwin. According to the prosecution, however, those bullets did not resemble those present on the set. In light of what happened, Judge Sommer emphasized that “the intentional concealment of this information by the State was intentional and deliberate” and has established the dismissal “with prejudice” which prevents the prosecution from reopening the case. For this reason, Alec Baldwin cannot be tried again for the death of Halyna Hutchins.