Today was the third day of Alec Baldwin's manslaughter trial, and already, the actor has gotten some great news. Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer granted the defense's motion to dismiss the case. Unsurprisingly, he broke down in tears upon hearing the judge's ruling, as this has surely been a hard road for the 66-year-old. He could have spent up to 18 months behind bars had he been convicted. Baldwin was also spotted hugging his wife, Hilaria, in the courtroom.
In the defense's motion, they argued that live ammunition related to the accidental shooting that took the life of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was "concealed" from them. Judge Sommer says this "injected needless delay into the proceedings," and was "highly prejudicial to the defendant." She also dismissed the case with prejudice, meaning that Baldwin cannot be retried on the same charge.
Alec Baldwin Gets Emotional While Judge Explains Her Ruling
"There is no way for the court to right this wrong," she explained as Baldwin grew emotional. The dismissal comes after lead prosecutor Kari T. Morrissey took the stand, giving her account of why the ammunition was not handed over to the defense. “It was my impression that they did not match the live rounds from the set of ‘Rust,’” she explained, also claiming to have only seen a photo of it. The evidence was later brought into the courtroom in an envelope and examined. It was then determined that some of the rounds did match the ones found on set. “I never saw them until today,” Morrissey claimed.
“They buried it,” one of Baldwin's lawyers Luke Nikas said of the evidence at the time. “They put it under a different case with a different number.” Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the film's armorer, is currently serving an 18-month sentence for loading the live rounds into the gun that killed Hutchins. What do you think of Alec Baldwin's manslaughter case getting dismissed with prejudice? What about his emotional reaction to the judge's ruling? Share your thoughts in the comments section down below, and keep an eye on HNHH for more updates.
