Judge Dismisses ‘Rust’ Charges Against Alec Baldwin

Alec Baldwin was in tears in a New Mexico courtroom on Friday as Judge Marlowe Sommer dismissed all charges against him related to the “Rust” shooting case.

Baldwin’s legal team had argued to have the case dismissed on the grounds that the prosecution withheld key evidence, and the judge agreed.

According to The Associated Press, the defense claimed the state hid ammunition evidence from them that may have been related to the shooting. The prosecution said the ammunition was not connected to the case and was not hidden, but the defense said they should have had the ability to determine its importance.

Since the judge dismissed the involuntary manslaughter charge with prejudice, it cannot be brought again.

“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,” Marlowe 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.”

Alec was seen hugging his legal team and wife Hilaria, who was also overcome with emotion after the judge's ruling.

Baldwin’s trial began this week as he faced a felony involuntary manslaughter charge in the 2021 shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of “Rust.”

After the ruling, Hutchins' husband Matthew Hutchins released a statement through his lawyer, saying, "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 the senseless death of Halyna Hutchins."

If convicted, Alec would have faced 18 months in prison.

As the trial got underway, lawyers presented their opening arguments on Wednesday. Prosecutor Erlinda Johnson was able to present first, showing the gun that was fired that fateful day and claiming that Alec “violated the cardinal rules of firearm safety.”

Johnson told the courtroom, “When someone plays make-believe with a real gun in a real-life workplace, and while playing make-believe with that gun violates the cardinal rules of firearm safety, people’s lives are endangered and someone could be killed. The evidence will show that someone who played make-believe with a real gun and violated the cardinal rules of firearm safety is the defendant, Alexander Baldwin.”

Baldwin’s lawyer answered back, arguing the evidence will show that “real bullets are never supposed to be on movie sets.”

They said the death of Hutchins was an “unspeakable tragedy” but that Baldwin committed no crime.

The defense put the blame on the film’s armorer and the first assistant director, saying, “This was an unspeakable tragedy, but Alec Baldwin committed no crime. He was an actor, acting, playing the role of Harlan Rust. An actor playing a character can do things that are lethal, Baldwin's attorney said. These ‘cardinal rules’ are not cardinal rules on a movie set.”

Baldwin, who entered a not guilty plea, previously told George Stephanopoulos, in his only sit-down interview, “Someone is responsible for what happened and I can’t say who that is, but I know it’s not me.”

In March, “Rust” armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in the death of Hutchins.