Support truly
independent journalism
Our mission is to deliver unbiased, fact-based reporting that holds power to account and exposes the truth.
Whether $5 or $50, every contribution counts.
Support us to deliver journalism without an agenda.
Louise Thomas
Editor
Alec Baldwin expressed his “appreciation” after his involuntary manslaughter case in the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was dismissed.
The actor, 66, took to Instagram on Saturday to speak to those who have supported him – nearly three years after a prop gun Baldwin was holding went off during a rehearsal of the film Rust in 2021, killing Hutchins and injuring director Joel Souza.
“There are too many people who have supported me to thank just now,” Baldwin captioned his Instagram post, which featured a photo of him sitting inside the New Mexico courtroom. “To all of you, you will never know how much I appreciate your kindness toward my family.”
In the comments section, fans and friends of Baldwin offered encouraging words for the 30 Rock star.
“We love you,” wrote comedian Amy Sedaris, along with three red heart emojis.
“Heal. Then roar into life again,” said former Access Hollywood host Billy Bush.
Baldwin’s eldest daughter Ireland Baldwin shared her own tribute to her father following Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer’s dismissal on Friday.
The 28-year-old model, whom Baldwin shares with ex-wife Kim Basinger, posted a throwback photo of herself with the Beetlejuice actor on Instagram.
The image showed Baldwin lying on a couch with a young Ireland sitting on his lap as the father smiled at his daughter, cracking a silly expression. She simply captioned the post with a black heart emoji.
On July 12, Alec Baldwin broke down in tears and hugged his attorneys and his wife, Hilaria Baldwin, in New Mexico court after Judge Sommer dismissed his involuntary manslaughter charges over the death of Hutchins.
Sommer dismissed the case with prejudice based on the misconduct of police and prosecutors over the withholding of evidence from the defense. It was found that the state had withheld evidence that could have shed light on how live rounds got onto the set of the Rust movie, where the young cinematographer was fatally shot.
“There is no way for the court to right this wrong,” Sommer said, adding that dismissal of the case was needed to ensure “the integrity of the judicial system.”
“The late discovery of this evidence during trial has impeded the effective use of evidence in such a way that it has impacted the fundamental fairness of the proceedings,” Judge Sommer said. “If this conduct does not rise to the level of bad faith it certainly comes so near to bad faith to show signs of scorching.”
The prosecution will not be able to file charges against Baldwin again in Hutchins’ death.
In March, Rust armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter for Hutchins’ death and was sentenced to 18 months in prison. Lawyers for Gutierrez-Reed said they will move to have her case dismissed following Baldwin’s dismissal.
The Saturday Night Live alum’s attorneys had argued that prosecutors hid evidence from them about the ammunition that may be related to the shooting on the set of Rust in 2021.
The issue emerged Thursday, on the second day of the actor’s trial, during defense questioning of sheriff’s crime scene technician Marissa Poppell. Sommer ultimately put a pause on the trial early Friday as she considered the defense motion to dismiss the case over the evidence.
