BALDWIN CASE DISMISSED: Actor Breaks Down in Tears as Judge Agrees State Buried Evidence in Shocking Court Twist
Judge Sommers found state prosecutors violated protections extended to Baldwin under Brady v. Maryland.
Alec Baldwin broke down into tears as a New Mexico judge dismissed his involuntary manslaughter case in a shocking twist to come on the third day of the trial stemming from the death of Rust cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
Judge Marlowe Sommer ruled that prosecutors failed to share key evidence with the actor's defense team regarding the live ammunition that made its way onto the movie set.
Despite "repeated" claims that they "were compliant with all of their discovery obligations," Judge Sommer said prosecutors "have continued to fail to disclose critical evidence to the defendant."
Baldwin's hugged his wife, Hilaria, after the judge dismissed the case.
"The state's discovery violation has injected a needless, incurable delay into the instant jury trial," the judge added.
When she announced the dismissal motion had been granted, Baldwin dropped his head and sobbed into his hands before hugging his defense attorneys. He then stood up and embraced his wife, Hilaria, who had been sitting behind him in the courtroom all week.
The actor teared up in court as Judge Sommer read her decision.
The stunning development came after Baldwin's attorneys filed a motion for dismissal on Thursday, writing: "Baldwin was unaware of a risk that live ammunition had been brought to the set of Rust. To support its theory that Baldwin should have known of that risk, the State is attempting to establish a link between Baldwin and the source of the live ammunition."
Halyna Hutchins, 42, was killed during a scene rehearsal on the 'Rust' set in New Mexico on October 21, 2021.
The filing said prosecutors were relying on the assumption that "the live rounds were brought to the set by the movie's armorer," Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, who was convicted in her own involuntary manslaughter trial over Hutchins' death in March.
But they said the state "concealed evidence potentially pointing to an external source of the live ammunition," referring to Rust prop firearm supplier Seth Kenney.
The judge said key evidence regarding the ammunition loaded into the prop gun that killed Hutchins was withheld from the defense team.
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Kenney testified along with other witnesses regarding the defense motion on Friday, and in an unusual move, special prosecutor Kari Morrissey called herself to the stand. After a heated back-and-forth between Morrissey and Baldwin's attorney, Alex Spiro, the judge made her ruling.
Baldwin had pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter, and maintained that he never actually pulled the trigger of the gun.