In a shocking turn of events, a Santa Fe judge threw out actor Alec Baldwin’s involuntary manslaughter case for the fatal shooting of Halyna Hutchins on the set of the film “Rust” during the third day of the trial.
On Friday, Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer ruled that the prosecution concealed evidence from Baldwin’s legal team, including ammunition that was in the hands of local law enforcement.
“The state's willful withholding of this information was intentional and deliberate," Sommer said. "If this conduct does not rise to the level of bad faith, it certainly comes so near to bad faith as to show signs of scorching prejudice. There is no way for the court to right this wrong.”
Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer said the state's discovery violation regarding the late disclosure of a supplemental report on the ammunition evidence "injected needless delay into the proceedings," approached "bad faith" and was "highly prejudicial to the defendant.” The court discussed the defense's motion in the absence of the jury. In an unexpected move, the special prosecutor on the case, Kari Morrissey, also called herself to testify on the matter. During cross-examination of Morrissey, it was revealed that the other prosecutor in the case, Erlinda Ocampo Johnson, resigned from the case on Friday. Morrissey said it was because Johnson "didn't agree with the decision to have a public hearing.” Via ABC News.
On the third day of the trial, Sommer dismissed the jury so that she could conduct an 11th-hour hearing, resulting in lead prosecutor Kari Morrissey standing as a witness.
The defense team claimed that prosecutors hid evidence related to the source of the ammunition, which was in connection to the accidental shooting death of Hutchins. The state argued the evidence was not relevant to Baldwin's case.
The actor that he is, Baldwin, was seen sobbing when the news was announced. He was facing up to 18 months in prison if found guilty.
BREAKING: Actor Alec Baldwin's criminal case has been dismissed after new evidence emerged that wasn't disclosed to the defense.
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) July 12, 2024
Baldwin was seen sobbing when the announcement was made.
"One of the two special prosecutors in the Alec Baldwin trial, prosecutor Erlindo Ocampo… pic.twitter.com/3pyetXwDZQ
The Emmy-award winner actor has remained innocent, insisting that he did not pull the trigger and the gun went off by itself.