Trial: Trial against Alec Baldwin discontinued – tears in court

The trial drama surrounding the fatal shooting during the filming of the western “Rust” has come to a surprising end – there are emotional scenes in the court in Santa Fe (New Mexico). The actor Alec Baldwin, who is accused of negligent homicide, breaks down in tears when the judge draws a line under the trial. At the request of Baldwin’s defense lawyers, Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer discontinued the proceedings against the Hollywood star on Friday (local time).

The defense had accused the prosecution of withholding evidence and thus of gross misconduct. With a serious expression, the judge agreed after a legal back and forth in the courtroom. The late discovery of this evidence would affect the “fundamental fairness” of the proceedings, said Sommer. There was no way for the court to correct this omission, she continued. Dismissal of the proceedings was the only legal remedy.

Baldwin breaks into tears

Baldwin listens to the judge’s statements with tears in his eyes. He takes off his glasses and, visibly overwhelmed and relieved, puts his hand over his eyes. The actor bursts into tears, hugs his lawyers, then falls into the arms of his wife, Hilaria Baldwin.

If convicted, the father of eight could have faced up to 18 months in prison. After this dramatic turn of events, he leaves the courthouse a free man. On the way out, he is bombarded with shouts from reporters, but Baldwin initially does not comment.

The trial, which has been ongoing since Tuesday, focused on the question of whether the 66-year-old actor acted negligently when he fatally shot a camerawoman on the set of the 2021 western “Rust” and should therefore go to prison. Lead actor Baldwin had pulled out a revolver during rehearsals, as requested by the director. But instead of harmless blanks, live ammunition went off. A bullet hit camerawoman Halyna Hutchins (42) and fatally injured her.

Accusations against the public prosecutor

Baldwin’s defense attorneys now claimed that the prosecution had withheld important evidence from them. This concerned a number of bullets that had surfaced a few months ago and were presented in an envelope by the judge in court on Friday. She inspected the ammunition in front of the defense attorneys and the prosecutor. From the defense attorney’s point of view, this ammunition should have been part of the proceedings in earlier ballistics tests – but the prosecution had withheld it, argued Baldwin’s lawyers.

Many open questions

The question of where the live ammunition came from has not yet been fully answered. In the spring, the young gunsmith Hannah Gutierrez-Reed was brought to trial in Santa Fe. She was responsible for safety when handling weapons during filming. In addition to blank cartridges and so-called dummy cartridges, investigators found six real cartridges. One of these was inserted into the revolver cylinder when loading. The prosecution accused Gutierrez-Reed of ignoring safety precautions and not checking the ammunition. In March, the jury found the woman guilty of negligent homicide. Judge Sommer imposed the maximum sentence – 18 months in prison.

A former police officer had handed over the live ammunition that was now shown in court to investigators in Santa Fe in March. The lead prosecutor, Kari T. Morrissey, decided that it had nothing to do with the case because, in her view, it was too different from the bullets on the “Rust” set. The judge now questioned this. She also sharply reprimanded Morrissey for not listing this possible evidence in the documents for the “Rust” trial and for withholding it from the defense. The evidence had been literally hidden from them, Baldwin’s lawyer Luke Nikas lamented in court.

In her first reaction after the trial ended, Morrissey expressed disappointment. “I think the defense misinterpreted the significance of the evidence, but I have to accept the court’s decision,” she said on Friday, according to CNN.

Long legal process

For Baldwin, a long legal rollercoaster ride has now come to an end. From the beginning, the actor insisted on his innocence. Just a few weeks after the fatal shot, he declared in a TV interview: “I didn’t pull the trigger.” He would never point a gun at a person and pull the trigger. He had “no idea” how the live ammunition found its way into the gun.

The first charges against Baldwin and Gutierrez-Reed were then filed in January 2023, but the allegations against the actor were initially dropped three months later. Further investigations and forensic analyses were necessary, it was said. The FBI investigators examined, for example, whether a possible malfunction of the Colt could have caused the gun to fire. However, a report by firearms experts found that the trigger must have been pulled. With new evidence in hand, the prosecution took action against Baldwin again in January 2024 – he again pleaded not guilty.

New proceedings possible in the case

Even after the end of Baldwin’s trial, there are still unanswered questions – it is quite possible that other aspects of the case will come back to court. Brian Panish, an attorney for the victim’s husband, said in a response: “We respect the court’s decision. We look forward to presenting all the evidence to a jury and holding Mr. Baldwin accountable for his actions in connection with the senseless death of Halyna Hutchins.”

Baldwins plan reality show

In addition, Gutierrez-Reed appealed the guilty verdict against her weeks ago, and the gunsmith is demanding a new trial. The public will also soon hear more about the Baldwins. In June, the couple announced a new family project. The reality show “The Baldwins” is set to start next year on the US broadcaster TLC.