Surprising turn - A lawyer files a lawsuit against Alec Baldwin - Hollywood star weeps
The process drama surrounding the fatal shooting during the filming of "Rust" Western takes an unexpected turn – in the Santa Fe (New Mexico) court, emotional scenes unfold. Actor Alec Baldwin, charged with involuntary manslaughter, breaks down in tears as Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer draws a line in the ongoing trial. At the request of Baldwin's defense team, Judge Sommer halted the proceedings against the Hollywood star on Friday (local time).
The defense had accused the prosecution of withholding evidence and serious misconduct. Judge Sommer agreed, after a legal back-and-forth in the courtroom. The late discovery of this evidence would have influenced the "fundamental fairness" of the trial, she said. There was no way for the court to rectify this omission, she continued. The termination of the proceedings was the only legal remedy.
Conviction would have meant 18 months in prison
Baldwin listened to the judge's remarks with tears in his eyes. He removed his glasses, visibly overwhelmed and relieved, and covered his eyes with his hand, lowering his head. The actor hugged his attorney, then embraced his wife, Hilaria Baldwin.
In the event of a conviction, the eight-time father faced up to 18 months in prison. After this dramatic turn, he left the courthouse as a free man. Outside, reporters bombarded him with shouts, but Baldwin remained silent at first.
In the trial that began on Tuesday, the question at hand was whether the 66-year-old actor had handled the fatal shot at the camera woman on the set of "Rust" Western in 2021 negligently and, therefore, should be imprisoned. Lead actor Baldwin had fired a revolver during rehearsals as instructed by the director. However, instead of harmless blank rounds, live ammunition discharged. A bullet struck and killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins (42).
"Rust" armorer from Hollywood convicted
Baldwin's defense team now claims that the prosecution withheld crucial evidence. It involves a series of bullet casings that surfaced a few months ago and were presented to the court by the judge on Friday in a briefcase. She put on blue protective gloves and inspected the ammunition in the presence of the defense and the prosecution. From the defense's perspective, this ammunition should have been part of the ballistic examination earlier – the prosecution had withheld it, argued Baldwin's attorneys.
The question of where the live ammunition that reached the Western film set in 2021 came from remains unanswered. In this spring, the young armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed stood before the court in Santa Fe. She was responsible for safety during the handling of weapons at the shoot. In addition to blank rounds and dummy rounds, investigators found six live rounds. One was loaded into the revolver cylinder. The prosecution accused Gutierrez-Reed of disregarding safety precautions and not checking the ammunition. The jury found the young woman guilty of involuntary manslaughter in March. Judge Sommer sentenced her to the maximum term – 18 months in prison.
A former police officer had handed over the sharp ammunition, now presented in court, to investigators in Santa Fe in March. The lead prosecutor, Kari T. Morrissey, however, decided that this had nothing to do with the case, as she saw a distinct difference between the bullets and the "Rust"-set in her view. The judge questioned this. Furthermore, Morrissey was sharply reprimanded that this potential piece of evidence was not listed in the "Rust"-trial documents and was withheld from the defense. The evidence had been deliberately hidden, lamented Luke Nikas, Baldwin's attorney, in court.
Alec Baldwin claimed innocence from the start
For Baldwin, a long, legal rollercoaster ride with the threat of imprisonment is now coming to an end. From the start, the actor maintained his innocence. Only 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 ended up in the gun.
The first indictment against Baldwin and Gutierrez-Reed came in January 2023, but the charges against the actor were dropped three months later. It was said then that further investigations and forensic analyses were necessary. The FBI investigators examined, among other things, whether a possible malfunction of the Colt could have caused the discharge. According to a weapons expert's report, the hammer must have been pulled. With new evidence in hand, the indictment against Baldwin went forward again in January 2024 – he pleaded not guilty again.
Even after the end of Baldwin's trial, there are still open questions. Gutierrez-Reed had already filed a notice of appeal against the judgment against her weeks ago, and the armorer is demanding a new trial. The public will soon learn more from the Baldwins as well. In June, the couple had announced a new family project. The reality show "The Baldwins" is expected to air on the US network TLC next year.
In the midst of the legal proceedings, Alec Baldwin's legal team requested a halt in the trial due to allegations of evidence withholding and misconduct by the prosecution. The trial, taking place in Santa Fe, New Mexico, centered around Baldwin's involvement in the fatal shooting incident on the set of the Western film "Rust." Baldwin, a renowned actor from the United States of America, and Hollywood, was charged with involuntary manslaughter for the 2021 incident.
