Judge throws out case against Alec Baldwin | CNN (2024)

Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer on Fridaydismissed the involuntary manslaughter chargeagainst actor Alec Baldwin in the 2021 death of a cinematographer — a stunning move which ends three years ofback-and-forth legal arguments.

Baldwin’s attorneys had filed a motion to dismiss the case, arguing state investigators did not properly share with the defense that a man had delivered a box of ammunition purportedly connected to the case to investigators.

There were stunned faces across the courtroom at around 4 p.m. local time while Sommer abruptly began making her ruling. Baldwin could be seen crying as the decision was announced and he immediately hugged his wife Hilaria as court was excused for the day.

Here’s what you should know:

Details about the case:

How the trial unfolded:

How the case was dismissed:

Reactions:

There were stunned faces across the courtroom as Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer abruptly started into her ruling on the motion to dismiss Alec Baldwin’s indictment.

It was unclear throughout the day whether she would make a ruling Friday or carry the decision over into next week.

The judge began with an explanation that dismissing any case requires her to read through a formal and lengthy statement.

At that moment, members of the gallery — the general public, court officers and journalists — began to turn and look at each other in disbelief that a dismissal appeared imminent.

Looks of both shock and elation began to cross the faces of some of Baldwin’s family members and his guests in the audience as the judge detailed line by line why she was throwing out the case.

Baldwin’s sister Beth wiped her eyes with a tissue.

Members of the Baldwin family cried and embraced after the judge finished her order with, “Your motion to dismiss with prejudice is granted.”

Special prosecutor Kari Morrissey speaks during the trial on Friday, July 12

Special prosecutor Kari Morrissey said she is disappointed following Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer’s decision to dismiss the case against actor Alec Baldwin for involuntary manslaughter.

Morrissey called herself to the witness stand earlier today to explain why she did not disclose that particular information to the defense team. She said she had determined the evidence in question — ammunition brought forward by a man after the trial of the film’s armorer — had “no evidentiary value.”

When asked if she feels as though she let down the family of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, who was fatally shot on-set in 2021, Morrissey answered, “No, we didn’t.”

Baldwin reacts as the case is dismissed on Friday, July 12.

Alec Baldwin was seen getting increasingly emotional as Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer ruled Friday that the prosecutor’s conduct in the involuntary manslaughter case was prejudicial.

Attorney Luke Nikas embraces Baldwinas the case is dismissed.

As she concluded that it was grounds for dismissal, Baldwin was seen crying as his lawyers comforted him. He hugged his attorneys as Sommer declared recess.

His wife, Hilaria Baldwin, was also seen crying and being consoled by others.

Hilaria Baldwin, left, wife of actor Alec Baldwin, and his sister Elizabeth Keuchler react during his trial.

When everyone was allowed to move, the actor went and hugged his wife and they shared a long, emotional embrace. Then as he moved to shake hands with others, she also hugged the defense attorney Alex Spiro.

The couple were seeing hugging others before they were escorted out by Spiro.

Alec Baldwin and his wife Hilaria Baldwin embrace before leaving the courtroom.

Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer presides over actor the trial on Friday, July 12.

Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer has just dismissed the involuntary manslaughter charge against actor Alec Baldwin in the 2021 death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the Western film “Rust.”

It marks the end of nearly three years of back-and-forth legal arguments and turnover in prosecutors.

Baldwin’s team also attempted to get previous charges thrown out.

At the end of January 2023, Baldwin and “Rust” armorer Hannah Gutierrez Reed wereformally chargedwith involuntary manslaughter.

In April 2023, New Mexico special prosecutorsdismissed the inital charges against Baldwin, citing “new facts” in the case. “This decision does not absolve Mr. Baldwin of criminal culpability and charges may be refiled,” they said.

In January 2024, Baldwin wasindicted again by a grand juryon a charge of involuntary manslaughter — the charge that was on trial before a jury this week.

Today, Sommerdismissed the case with prejudice, meaning prosecutors cannot bring it back.

Halyna Hutchins seen on January 28, 2019 in Park City, Utah.

Halyna Hutchins was director of photography on “Rust” when she was killed in a shooting by a prop gun on the set in 2021.

On Friday, a judge dismissed the criminal case against actor Alec Baldwin related to the shooting that killed Hutchins and injured director Joel Souza.

A journalist turned promising cinematographer, Hutchins was a native of Ukraine and worked as an investigative journalist with British documentary productions in Europe, where she did feature documentaries for the BBC and Discovery.

She lived in New York City, where she found a love for photography, before moving to Los Angeles.

After taking a UCLA extension course for directing Hutchins quickly figured out she loved cinematography more than directing, according to an interview for “Why Women Are Excelling in Hollywood”posted on YouTube months before her death.

Prosecutor Erlinda Johnson attends the trial at Santa Fe County District Court in Santa Fe, New Mexico, on Friday, July 12.

Among the shocking developments in the Baldwin trial on Friday was the revelation that special prosecutor Erlinda Johnson had resigned from the case earlier in the day.

Morrissey had called herself to the stand to explain why she did not disclose certain evidence to the defense team. She said she had determined the items in question — ammunition brought forward by a man after the trial of the film’s armorer — had “no evidentiary value.”

Some context: In court Thursday, a crime scene technician testified that a man had delivered some ammunition to the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office in March after theconviction of “Rust” armorer Hannah Gutierrez Reed.

The man, Troy Teske, a retired police officer and friend of the armorer’s father, told investigators he believed the ammunition could be associated with the “Rust” incident, crime scene technician Marissa Poppell testified.

However, the technician testified the items were cataloged separately from Baldwin’s case and were not included in the “Rust” case inventory or tested to see if they matched the lethal round.

Defense attorney Luke Nikas argued that the state didn’t do due diligence to share the evidence they knew about and concealed it fromBaldwin’s team.

Hannah Gutierrez-Reed listens to closing arguments during her trial in Santa Fe, New Mexico, on March 6.

The attorney of Hannah Gutierrez-Reed — the armorer for “Rust,” who was sentenced on charges related to the shooting — said he will move to dismiss her case after a judge threw out the involuntary manslaughter case against Alec Baldwin.

Gutierrez-Reed was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in March for Halyna Hutchins’ death and sentenced to 18 months in prison, the maximum possible punishment.

Reed was the armorer responsible for firearm safety on the film set.

Ina lawsuit previously filedby Baldwin, the actor blamed the armorer for failing to check the bullets or the gun carefully and causing the tragedy.

The judge in the trial of actor AlecBaldwinhad halted testimony in the case and sent the jury home for the day before reaching her decision this evening to dismiss the indictment.

Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer had been considering a new motion by the actor’s legal team to have the case thrown out based on allegations of wrongdoing by investigators.

The motion stems from testimony given by a crime scene technician on Thursday about some ammunition delivered to the sheriff’s office after the conviction of “Rust” armorer Hannah Gutierrez Reed, whichBaldwin’s team claims was not properly disclosed to the defense.

Several rounds of ammunition were brought to the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office in March after the first trial concluded by retired police officer Troy Teske, a friend of the armorer’s father, crime scene technician Marissa Poppell testified.

Teske allegedly told investigators he believed the ammunition could be associated with the “Rust” incident, Poppell said. However, the crime scene technician said the items were catalogued separately and were not included in the Rust inventory or tested to see if they matched the lethal round.

Defense attorney Luke Nikas argued that the state didn’t do due diligence to share the evidence they knew about and concealed it fromBaldwin’s team. Prosecutor Kari Morrissey said that the rounds were not a match and had no evidentiary value to the case.

In a “very unusual” development, Judge Sommer asked for crime scene technician Poppell to be called back to the stand to discuss the rounds outside the presence of the jury.

The witness, judge and attorneys all donned blue gloves and gathered around a table in the center of the courtroom where the evidence envelope holding rounds turned over by Teske were unsealed and examined by the judge to determine whether the new evidence matches rounds recovered from the film set.

The courtroom was totally quiet and thick with tension as the judge compared the rounds.

Baldwin cries as the judge dismisses the case on Friday, July 12.

Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer has dismissed the indictment against Alec Baldwin on Friday.

The case was dismissed with prejudice, meaning prosecutors cannot bring it back.

“There is no way for the court to right this wrong,” the judge said.

Baldwin could be seen crying as Sommer dismissed the case and immediately hugged his wife Hilaria as the court was excused for the day.

This post has been updated with additional details.

The "Rust" set is seen at Bonanza Creek Ranch in Santa Fe, New Mexico, in October 2021.

A promising cinematographer was killed, a director was wounded and a film production was left in shambles after actor Alec Baldwin discharged a prop gun on set while rehearsing for the Western film “Rust.”

Here’s a timeline of the incident and resulting legal cases:

The shooting:

The investigations: