The involuntary manslaughter trial against actor Alec Baldwin in the 2021 shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the film “Rust” has been dismissed by a judge in New Mexico. The decision came after a day-long motion hearing on Friday, which was the third day of the trial.
The defense had filed a motion claiming that prosecutors mishandled evidence, specifically ammunition that was provided to the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office by a “good Samaritan” in March. The state argued that the evidence had no exculpatory value and was not relevant to Baldwin’s case.
During the hearing, the lead detective in the case, Cpl. Alexandria Hancock, was expected to testify. However, the judge dismissed the case before Hancock took the stand.
The dismissal came shortly after it was reported that Kari Morrissey, one of the prosecutors in the case, had resigned. Morrissey had argued against the defense’s motion to dismiss the case during the hearing.
Baldwin was facing a single charge of involuntary manslaughter in Hutchins’ death. The film’s armorer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, was previously convicted of involuntary manslaughter in the case and is serving an 18-month sentence.
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The defense had argued that the ammunition that killed Hutchins came from the film’s prop supplier, Seth Kenney, and may be linked to the death. However, the prosecution maintained that Kenney had not supplied live rounds to the set.
With the case now dismissed, it remains unclear whether the state will refile charges against Baldwin in the future.