Rust: How Alec Baldwin's trial for involuntary manslaughter went completely off the rails

Hollywood's anticipated criminal case of the involuntary manslaughter of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins by Alec Baldwin during the filming of the movie 'Rust', has taken a drastic and unanticipated turn. Tears were shed after the Judge made a shocking announcement.

In a twist that few could have seen coming, the case was suddenly and entirely dismissed. The reason? As it turned out, the prosecution had failed to present evidence to Alec Baldwin's defense team.

The evidence in question are rounds of ammunition and photos of ammunition in the possession of Santa Fe authorities. These items may or may not actually be from the 'Rust' set, which caused confusion for police and a rickety case for the prosecution.

Several people connected to the supply of live and blank ammunition to the 'Rust' set had handed over bullets and photos of ammunition to the police in the years after the incident.

It was unclear whether these items were from the actual crime scene. In some cases, it was clear they were not, but in other cases, they could have made a difference in both the case of Alec Baldwin and that of armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, media like CNN argued. However, they were kept hidden from Baldwin's team.

When it turned out that the different sets of evidence contradicted each other, the crime tech's supervisor "told her to log the rounds 'under a different case file so that it would never be disclosed to the defense,'" Alec Baldwin's defense argued in court, as cited by Vulture. An enormous mistake and a cause for dismissal of the entire trial, they argued.

Image: Wesley Tingey / Unsplash

Judge Marlowe Sommer agreed. "The jury has been sworn, jeopardy has attached, and this disclosure during the course of trial is so late that it undermines the defendant's preparation for trial. There is no way for the court to right this wrong," the judge said.

From the moment Alec Baldwin's team made their bombshell statement, the trial went completely off the rails. There were heated interrogations between prosecutors, CNN reports, then one of them quit on the spot, and finally, there was the dismissal and Alec Baldwin's tears of relief.

Prosecutor Erlinda Ocampo Johnson resigned from the team. As she explains to People magazine, "We have an obligation as prosecutors... not only to the people, but to the defendant, and our obligation is to make sure that all the evidence is turned over." When she realized the mistake, "my ethical obligations compelled me to withdraw," she tells People.

Meanwhile, a very emotional Baldwin wrote on Instagram: "There are too many people who have supported me to thank just now. To all of you, you will never know how much I appreciate your kindness toward my family."

And so it seems that the criminal prosecution for the 'Rust' shooting is a thing of the past. Alec Baldwin was accused of involuntary manslaughter by irresponsibly using a prop gun with live ammo and fatally shooting cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on set in 2021.

In October 2021, Baldwin was rehearsing a revolver maneuver when the gun went off, killing cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and wounding director Joel Souza.

Image: Jensen Ackles / Instagram

Baldwin, 66, repeatedly testified that he did not know the gun contained a real bullet and that the shot was accidental. He insisted he only pulled the hammer of the gun and not the trigger.

Image: Reid Russell / Instagram

Alec Baldwin's trial for involuntary manslaughter began Tuesday, July 9, in New Mexico. The entire trial was expected to last 10 days, but due to the dismissal, Baldwin was free to go after only 4 days. According to The Guardian, the actor could have gotten up to 18 months in prison if convicted.

Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the armorer on the set of 'Rust', was previously convicted of involuntary manslaughter and sentenced to 18 months in prison. That was before the hidden evidence came to light, however.

Jason Bowles, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed's attorney, says he will move to have Hannah's case dismissed. "The judge found intentional misconduct and we also have had the same failures in Hannah’s case, by the State," he said, as quoted by CNN.

While the criminal case about the unintended killing of Halyna Hutchins and wounding of director Joel Souza may have gone off the rails, there is still the option of civil trials against Baldwin - both as the actor holding the gun and the producer overseeing the entire film.

Gloria Allred, Hutchins's family attorney, announced to CNN and other media: "It may be a little premature for Alec Baldwin to be having his party. We are going to fight to the end for Halyna Hutchins."

Referring to the criminal trial, she said, "This was not our case. Now it will be our case, the civil case, so we have more control of what happens in this case, and we have more power to work to move it forward."

Alec Baldwin "cannot escape responsibility" for Halyna Hutchins' death, the representative explained according to BBC. In a civil suit, the actor can be held accountable and required to pay a large sum in damages to the family. In the role of producer, Baldwin and his team had already reached an agreement with the family after a wrongful death lawsuit in 2023.

Halyna Hutchins' widow will not participate in that case, though, as he already reached an agreement with Alec Baldwin in 2022. To support his son, he received a sum of money and was made Executive Producer of 'Rust' - which means he will make a profit if the film performs well at the box office.

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