(USNewsBreak.com) – Actor Alec Baldwin has become quite familiar with courtrooms in the last few years, following the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of “Rust” in October 2021. New Mexico Prosecutors charged him with involuntary manslaughter with an add-on gun charge, which they later dropped. Then, after prosecutors dismissed all of the counts, they charged Baldwin again. A judge has now put an end to his criminal legal matters in the case.
On Friday, July 12, just three days into his trial, Baldwin received relief from nearly three years of continuous criminal jeopardy. Instead of introducing evidence and hearing from witnesses, the court that day evaluated the prosecution’s conduct. Prosecutor Kari T. Morrissey took the rare step of calling herself as a witness. In her testimony, she spoke about how she handled the situation when investigators brought live ammunition to the sheriff’s office. This evidence was the undoing of the case.
The prosecution never provided Baldwin’s lawyers with the ballistics evidence from the ammunition. Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer criticized the prosecution team, finding they had deliberately and intentionally withheld evidence from the defense that could’ve helped the actor.
In a searing statement, she said if the behavior doesn’t constitute “bad faith, it certainly comes so near to bad faith as to show signs of scorching prejudice.” She then dismissed the case with prejudice, meaning the court considered it permanently closed, and prosecutors couldn’t bring it back to court. Baldwin will not face the risk of a criminal conviction.
However, that doesn’t mean Baldwin’s legal troubles are over. He’s far from it. Now that the criminal case is out of the way, he is facing a series of civil lawsuits. Halyna’s husband, Matthew Hutchins, filed a suit accusing Baldwin of reckless conduct. There was reportedly a settlement, but it wasn’t paid in full by June 2023 per the agreement. Some of the crew members on the set have also sued.
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