Alec Baldwin has called on a New Mexico judge to uphold her decision to dismiss his involuntary manslaughter charge in the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the Rust film set. District Court Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer dismissed the case mid-trial in July, citing police and prosecutor misconduct in withholding evidence from Baldwin's defense. Because the charge was dismissed with prejudice, it can't be reinstated after appeals are exhausted.
Special prosecutor Kari Morrissey recently appealed to the judge to reconsider, arguing no violation of Baldwin's due process rights. Baldwin, both lead actor and co-producer, claimed the gun discharged during a rehearsal without him pulling the trigger. The key evidence involved ammunition that a man brought into the sheriff's office in March, saying it could be connected to Hutchins' death. Prosecutors labeled it unrelated and non-critical, but Baldwin's attorneys argued it was wrongly withheld, leading to successful dismissal.
Judge Marlowe Sommer highlighted "egregious discovery violations constituting misconduct," along with false testimony by a witness. Baldwin's defense insists these actions hindered his right to a fair trial. Rust armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed is serving 18 months for involuntary manslaughter for ignoring safety protocols, while assistant director David Halls received six months' unsupervised probation after a no contest plea to negligent use of a deadly weapon. (This story was generated by Newser's AI chatbot. Source: the AP)
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