Alec Baldwin Case Dismissed: Lawyer explains how police, prosecutors mishandled evidence

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — The 2021 shooting on the set of the film “ Rust ” as well as actor and producer Alec Baldwin ‘s involuntary manslaughter trial have been extensively discussed over the last few years, but last week, the case came to a final close before the jury even began deliberations.

On Friday, Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer dismissed the case with prejudice because of police and prosecutor misconduct. According to the Associated Press , evidence was withheld from the defense in the shooting of cinematographer Halayna Hutchins on set.

In October 2021, Hutchins was fatally shot as Baldwin was pointing a gun at her during a rehearsal when the gun went off. The AP reported that Baldwin said he pulled back the hammer, but not the trigger when the gun fired. However, one of the questions that has been prominent since the beginning is how live rounds got mixed in with the blanks, or dummy rounds, that are traditionally used to make movie gunfire and then into the revolver Baldwin was holding.

Although it is still unclear how that happened, the day before the case was dismissed, the defense questioned a sheriff’s crime scene technician which seemed to be a turning point toward the case being dismissed. During the line of questioning, the technician confirmed that half a dozen live rounds were found all over the set and attempted to answer why it took law enforcement a week to go into the prop truck where guns were stored inside a safe.

Then, Friday morning, the defense moved to have the case dismissed on claims that prosecutors hid evidence from them about the ammunition that may have been related to the shooting. The prosecution said the ammunition was not connected to the case, however, the first chair prosecutor in the case resigned from the case.

Later that day, Sommer dismissed the case with prejudice, meaning the case is permanently dismissed and it cannot be brought back to court.

If Baldwin had been convicted, he could have gotten 18 months in prison. He and other producers are still facing civil lawsuits from Hutchin’s parents and sister , which defense attorney Mark Sedlander said are more common for workplace accidents like the fatal shooting.

The armorer for the film, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, was convicted in March of involuntary manslaughter and sentenced to 18 months in prison , although she is appealing the verdict.

In this week’s Ask Isaacs, Attorney Greg Isaacs sits down with WATE’s Bo Williams to explain the details of the case and how the judge determined that prosecutors and police mishandled evidence.

If you have a legal question, send it to AskIsaacs@wate.com . To watch full episodes of Ask Isaacs, click here.

WATE’s Lori Tucker and Attorney Greg Isaacs answer your legal questions from the WATE Alert Desk on Wednesdays at 2:30 p.m. and on WATE Channel 6 at 5:30 p.m.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WATE 6 On Your Side.