In a surprising turn of events, the judge prosecuting American actor Alec Baldwin dropped the manslaughter charge on Friday, after agreeing with the actor's lawyer that prosecutors had concealed evidence that might be linked to the shooting incident that claimed the life of cinematographer Halena Hutchins on the set of the film "Rust." “2021.
“There is no way the court can correct this error,” Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer said.
She added, "The only penalty deserved is to drop the case," which means that the manslaughter case against the actor cannot be moved again.
Baldwin, 66, cried and put his face in his hands as Sommer announced her decision, then hugged his wife, Hilaria, as attorneys and attendees began to file out of the courtroom.
Baldwin could have been sentenced to up to 18 months in prison if jurors unanimously agreed that he committed the felony.
The incident dates back to October 21, 2021, when Baldwin was rehearsing a scene at Bonanza Creek Ranch in Santa Fe County, and a bullet came out of the gun he was carrying, killing Hutchins, 42, and wounding director Joel Souza.
Baldwin said he was not aware that the gun contained a live bullet, and that he fired the bullet by mistake after following instructions to point it at Hutchins.
Baldwin's lawyers confirmed that the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office seized live ammunition as evidence, but did not record them in the official case file, nor did they disclose their existence to the actor's defense team.
This shift comes just two days after a prosecutor in the US state of New Mexico, on Wednesday, charged Baldwin with violating “basic rules” in handling weapons, while Baldwin’s lawyer said that safety experts on the set, who are already convicted in the case, failed his client.
Baldwin took notes at the defense table and listened calmly during his trial on charges of manslaughter in the first fatal shooting on the set of a Hollywood movie in three decades.
The trial was largely unprecedented in US history, in which an actor was held criminally liable for killing a person with a firearm during filming.
Comments