Actor Alec Baldwin was cleared of criminal involuntary manslaughter charges in the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of his movie "Rust" in October 2021. The case was dismissed by New Mexico Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer on the third day of Baldwin's trial after ruling that prosecutors had improperly kept evidence about live ammunition related to the case secret from defense lawyers.
Judge Sommer stated that there was no way to right the wrong done by the prosecution's actions and therefore dismissed the case with prejudice, meaning that prosecutors cannot retry Baldwin. The decision led to an emotional reaction from Baldwin, who wept and embraced his wife, Hilaria.
The evidence in question was related to ammunition in the possession of prosecutors that had not been disclosed to Baldwin's defense team. Defense lawyers argued that the ammunition could potentially be helpful to Baldwin's case and should have been disclosed according to U.S. criminal law.
Following the dismissal of the case, defense lawyers for Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the armorer on the "Rust" production who was serving an 18-month prison sentence for involuntary manslaughter in Hutchins' death, stated that they would seek her immediate release. They criticized the prosecution for engaging in what they called an "absolutely shocking" pattern of misconduct.
The dismissal of the case against Baldwin comes after charges were first dropped and then refiled earlier this year. Baldwin has maintained that he did not pull the trigger of the weapon that killed Hutchins and that he was under the impression the gun was unable to be fired. The possibility of an 18-month prison sentence loomed over him if convicted in the case.