wattWhen Alec Baldwin began production on the western Rust in 2021, it was a passion project for the veteran actor. He co-wrote the story, served as a producer, and stars in the film as Harland Rust, an outlaw with a bounty on his mind.
Nearly three years later, the 66-year-old is a criminal defendant on trial in New Mexico for manslaughter in the death of photographer Halyna Hutchins during a rehearsal for the film.
Baldwin walked into a Santa Fe courtroom on Wednesday, the day his trial was to begin, facing the prospect of 18 months in prison. By the weekend, in a dramatic turn worthy of a Hollywood drama, he walked away a free man after a judge found that prosecutors and law enforcement deliberately withheld evidence in the case that could have been favorable to the actor.
The prosecution’s case collapsed within hours on Friday. One witness testified that Kari Morrissey A special prosecutor is leading the state’s case against Baldwin, Directly involved in the decision to separate potentially critical evidence from the Rust case. Another special prosecutor resigned suddenly at noon, and Morrissey took the stand as a witness.
By the end of the day, Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer found that the state had withheld information in a “willful and willful” manner. Baldwin cried. His wife, Hilaria Baldwin, covered her face and then hugged his attorney.
The shocking ending to the high-stakes case was closely watched by the film industry and documented by dozens of journalists from around the world.
The case’s rapid unraveling surprised even seasoned legal observers. “It’s shocking to see prosecutions fail so quickly. A special prosecutor fled before the judge even made a decision,” said Neama Rahmani, a former federal prosecutor and president of the West Coast Trial Lawyers Association in Los Angeles. Rahmani said.
“This is one of the worst prosecutions in American history. This should be taught in schools as an example of how not to sue.
Stunning courtroom scenes end tense week
Friday’s high-profile events capped off a trial that ticked all the boxes movie script – A star is accused of recklessly carrying a gun on a set that killed a crew member, Baldwin’s actor brother and influential wife become high-profile spectators, and there’s a near-constant battle and grueling cross-examination between the prosecution and defense.
Every day for the past week, the bespectacled, hunched-over Baldwin walked into a Santa Fe courthouse with his wife, sitting next to his high-profile legal team in proceedings that were livestreamed and watched around the world.
The potential fallout for Baldwin – who was found criminally responsible for causing the death of 42-year-old Hutchins and sentenced to up to 18 months in prison – is very real, and the guilty verdict will have a lasting impact on the film industry.
The jury was seated on Tuesday and proceedings began on Wednesday. As proceedings unfolded in the courtroom, the prosecution and defense offered dramatically different versions of the events of October 21, 2021.
The cast of Rust was rehearsing at Bonanza Creek Ranch, a popular film about 30 minutes outside of Santa Fe, when Baldwin took a gun and fired a live round, striking Hutchins and director Joel Souza. ).
Prosecutors told the jury in opening statements that the bullet entered Hutchins under her right arm, penetrated her right lung, then traveled through her spine and tore her spinal cord. Hutchins, a rising star in the industry, was flown by helicopter to a nearby hospital, where she died.
The aftermath of the incident was captured on body camera by a New Mexico deputy who responded to the incident and testified in court this week. Video footage showed Hutchins lying on the floor with her arms covering her face as paramedics struggled to save her.
Prosecutors argued that Baldwin was a reckless and arrogant actor who blatantly and repeatedly inappropriately used a gun on set. He violated “fundamental rules of gun safety” while filming by keeping his finger on the hammer and trigger and pointing it at people on set.
The defense countered that Baldwin was an actor dedicated to his job and argued that he was failed by the staff responsible for overseeing weapons and security on the set. Attorney Alex Spiro stressed that Baldwin was told the gun was safe before he gave it to him.
It all seemed to lead to days of tense exchanges over whether Baldwin was at fault, with Baldwin himself expected to testify. But ultimately the jury failed to reach a verdict on the issue The situation deteriorated rapidly on Friday, with previously unseen evidence being presented.
The court faces a potentially high-profile day as prosecutors are expected to call Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the film’s armorer who was found guilty of manslaughter earlier this year, to testify.
But on Friday morning, the defense claimed the state was withholding evidence and asked a judge to dismiss the case. Soon after, Sommer dismissed the jury — kicking off a day of gripping testimony and surprising courtroom exchanges.
things fall apart
The issue first arose on Thursday, when Baldwin’s defense attorney said the state had received evidence about how the live ammunition ended up on the set of “Rust.” Prosecutors have long said Gutierrez-Reed was the source of the live ammunition, but new evidence reportedly casts doubt on that.
Spiro told the court that this year, a “good Samaritan” called Troy Teske reported the incident to police with a box of ammunition he claimed came from prop supplier Seth Kenney. It matched the ammunition that killed Hutchins.
The state did not include the Teske interview report with other Rust evidence. Spiro said they also did not share that information with Gutierrez-Reed’s attorney.
Morrissey has said that the ammunition provided did not match the ammunition on the Rust device: “That has no evidentiary value.”
The judge asked to see the report and evidence, a box of ammunition. Moments later, a gloved Sommer stepped off the bench and examined the evidence directly, discovering that some of the bullets were indeed similar to Rust’s bullets.
At one point, while questioning a witness, Morrissey grabbed a bullet and handled it himself — without gloves, prompting objections from the defense.
Alexandria Hancock of the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office testified Friday that she and other officials decided to file it separately from other Rust evidence in a completely different case file because they had not yet identified it related to the case, she said.
Morrissey said multiple times that Troy Teske, who came with the ammunition, was a friend of Gutierrez-Reed’s father. She said she didn’t see the report until Friday morning. But when the judge asked Hancock, she said Morrissey was directly involved in the decision to separate evidence from Rust’s case. The audience in the courtroom gasped.
Morrissey seemed determined to defend her honor, and by the end of the day she was calling herself to court with a Mary-like cheer, even though the judge told her it wasn’t necessary. “You don’t have to say anything under oath if you don’t want to,” Sommer said.
Morrissey testified that she was unaware that the evidence presented would not be related to the Rust case number.
She disputed Spiro’s assertion that she disliked Baldwin. “I actually admire Mr. Baldwin’s films very much,” she said. “I really admired his performance on ‘Saturday Night Live.'”
Spiro wasn’t done yet. In Morrissey’s final moments on the witness stand, he asked her if she had ever called the actor an “arrogant bastard” and a “jerk” in conversations with witnesses.
She said she had no memory of doing so.
Baldwin looked nervous this week, but looked increasingly energized as the day wore on. He covered his face and cried when the judge dismissed the case.
What happens next?
A judge dismissed the case with “prejudice,” abruptly ending the manslaughter case against Baldwin. The decision means prosecutors can’t bring the same case against him again, and Baldwin is likely off the hook for good.
Rahmani said the state’s actions amounted to “violation of the constitution.” He called it “the prosecutor’s cardinal sin.”
The ruling could also have significant implications for the film’s armorer, Gutierrez-Reed, who may try to have her conviction quashed based on Friday’s ruling.
“Not only is Baldwin a free man, but there is no retrial and Gutierrez-Reed’s conviction could be overturned,” Rahmani said.
Carl Tobias of the University of Richmond School of Law agreed that her defense will likely use the same approach as Baldwin’s attorneys.
“Hannah Gutierrez-Reed will likely try to make a similar argument to the one made by Baldwin and his attorneys, that her conviction should be overturned, or at least retried, and she should be released from prison,” Tobias said. “
The lawyer for Helena’s husband Matthew Hutchins said in a statement that he respects the court’s decision.
Brian J Panish said: “We look forward to presenting all the evidence to the jury and holding Mr. Baldwin accountable for the senseless death of Halena Hutchins.”
