A Santa Fe judge has dismissed the involuntary manslaughter case against Alec Baldwin for the fatal shooting of Halyna Hutchins on the set of the film 'Rust.' The judge ruled that the prosecution had concealed evidence from Baldwin's legal team, leading to the dismissal of the case with prejudice, meaning the charge cannot be brought against the actor again.
During the trial, defense attorney Luke Nikas accused the state of withholding evidence that prop distributor Seth Kenney was the source of the live ammunition. This accusation prompted Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer to hold an 11th-hour hearing, during which lead prosecutor Kari Morrissey testified that she had decided not to collect the ammunition as it was in Arizona and did not match the live rounds on the 'Rust' set.
The defense team argued that investigators and prosecutors had concealed evidence related to the source of the ammunition linked to the accidental shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. Retired police officer Troy Teske delivered a collection of rounds to the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office, which matched the bullet that killed Hutchins.
However, the evidence was not properly inventoried under the 'Rust' case, and the defense did not receive a supplemental report on the new evidence. Santa Fe County Sheriff's Corporal Alexendria Hancock admitted that the decision to handle the evidence separately was made in consultation with prosecutors and supervisors.
Body camera footage revealed that the defense attorneys learned about the ammunition Teske turned over, which was crucial evidence in the case. Lead prosecutor Morrissey claimed that she had only seen the supplemental report, allegedly withheld from the defense, on the morning of the hearing.
The dismissal of the case came as a stunning blow to the prosecution team, which had been working on the case for over three years and had called only seven witnesses before the judge's decision.
