The involuntary manslaughter case against actor Alec Baldwin, relating to the fatal ”Rust” shooting, was dismissed by a New Mexico judge on Friday, July 12.
The famous and beloved actor was visibly emotional during the hearing on Friday and broke down in tears as the decision was announced by the judge.
This surprising and monumental decision for this high-profile case brought an end to the nearly three-year tumultuous legal journey Baldwin has endured. This was the second time the case against Baldwin has been dismissed, meaning that it will not come to trial again.
The final dismissal did not take long to be announced, coming only three days after the beginning of the procedures.
The rationale behind the dismissal of the case was based on the fact that Baldwin’s attorneys revealed that police and prosecutors alike had withheld crucial evidence in previous stages of the legal procedures.
More precisely, they were accused of not revealing a batch of bullets that could have been connected to the shooting that claimed the life of Halyna Hutchins, a cinematographer, who was tragically shot with a revolver that Baldwin was using in rehearsals.
The shot killed Hutchins and shocked the entire world back in October 2021
Baldwin’s lawyers claimed that this crucial evidence, which was filed under a different case number, should have been shared with the defence team earlier. Despite that, the prosecutors had claimed that the ammunition mentioned by the defence team was not related to the case. However, Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer ruled in favour of Baldwin.
The judge also stated that the withholding of information by the prosecutors was “intentional and deliberate”, and emphasised that there was no way for the court to rectify this wrong against Baldwin.
What happened with Baldwin and Hutchins
It all began back in October 2021, when a truly tragic incident took place on the set of the film “Rust”.
Baldwin decided to discharge a prop gun, something that led to the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. Apart from Hutchins who lost her life, director Joel Souza was also injured.
The gun with which the fatal accident took place was supposed to contain blanks and not real bullets.Throughout these years, Baldwin has maintained that he did not pull the trigger.
After this tragic event, the production team of the film changed their location from Bonanza City in New Mexico to Montana.
Melina Spadone, a legal representative for Rust Movie Productions, had stated in 2023 that the use of any working weapons and ammunition would be strictly prohibited, including live ammunition, which was always banned on the set anyway.
Bianca Cline then took on the role of cinematographer, replacing the late Halyna Hutchins. In the meantime, Joel Souza, who was injured during the incident, returned as the director of the movie.
