A New Mexico judge threw out an involuntary manslaughter charge against the actor Alec Baldwin in the fatal 2021 shooting of a cinematographer on the set of the movie “Rust,” ending the star’s yearslong legal saga.
Baldwin, who co-produced and starred in the film, was facing trial in Santa Fe, N.M., on a charge that he shot and killed 42-year-old Halyna Hutchins.
Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer dismissed the case on Friday with prejudice, meaning it can’t be brought again. The ruling followed the disclosure of new evidence that Baldwin’s team alleged had been buried by the prosecution.
Baldwin and his family cried as the judge delivered her ruling.
The actor was rehearsing a scene when the gun discharged and fired a live round that killed Hutchins and wounded the movie’s director, Joel Souza. Baldwin has said he is innocent.
The film’s armorer in charge of weapons on set, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, was convicted on an involuntary manslaughter charge in March and sentenced to 18 months in prison. She is appealing the conviction.
Delivering ammunition
During Baldwin’s trial this past week, a crime scene technician, Marissa Poppell, testified that a man hand-delivered ammunition to the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office in March, following Gutierrez-Reed’s trial, which he believed could be connected to the live ammunition found on the movie set. The defense accused the prosecution of burying this evidence and later that day filed a motion to dismiss the charge.
The man who provided the ammunition was Troy Teske, a former Arizona police officer and friend of Gutierrez-Reed’s father, Thell Reed. The ammunition belonged to Reed and was being held by Teske in Arizona. Teske told investigators it could be related to the “Rust” shooting.
Sommer dismissed the jury Friday morning and called Poppell back to the stand to discuss the motion further. The judge examined the rounds along with the crime scene technician and attorneys, all of them wearing blue gloves.
The judge then ordered additional witnesses to testify before rendering a ruling, including the prop supplier and lead detective. The judge questioned the decision made by prosecutors not to file the ammunition as evidence related to the Baldwin case, despite clear indication from Teske that it could be related to the shooting.
The ammunition was cataloged into evidence as separate from Baldwin’s case, witnesses said in testimony. Kari Morrissey of the prosecution said that investigators determined that the ammunition wasn’t a match to the live rounds found on the “Rust” set based on some of its characteristics and determined that it didn’t have evidentiary value.
Case dismissed
The judge’s ruling allows the actor to put behind him a legal journey that has played out in fits and starts since the shooting.
Baldwin is a longtime Hollywood star, most commonly known for his role in the hit TV show “30 Rock,” the animated film “The Boss Baby,” the romantic comedy “It’s Complicated,” and a recurring role on “Saturday Night Live,” portraying Donald Trump.
Following the on-set shooting, Baldwin kept media appearances minimal and largely focused on several lower-budget films.
Most recently, Baldwin and his wife, Hilaria Baldwin, announced a new reality show about their family, including their seven children, which will be released on TLC in 2025. His most recent movie, “Clear Cut,” is set to be released later this month.
In “Rust,” Baldwin stars as Harland Rust, an outlaw in Kansas during the 1880s, as he tries to rescue his grandson, who has been sentenced to death for an accidental killing. “Rust” resumed filming on the Yellowstone Film Ranch set in Montana 18 months after the shooting. The movie, which was initially scheduled for a 21-day shoot, was completed in May 2023.
As part of a settlement between the Hutchins family and Baldwin, Rust Movie Productions and other parties, her widower was named executive producer of the film.
The film has been submitted for various international film festivals, including the Toronto International Film Festival, according to a lawyer for Rust Movie Productions.
Write to Itzel Luna at Itzel.Luna@wsj.com
