Alec Baldwin’s Rust shooting trial was ‘improperly dismissed’ by judge, says prosecutor

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Alec Baldwin’s high-profile manslaughter trial over the fatal shooting on the set of movie Rust was “improperly dismissed” by the judge, according to prosecutors.

In a bombshell ruling in the middle of Baldwin’s trial in July, Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer threw out the case against the Hollywood star, claiming that New Mexico police and prosecutors had withheld ammunition evidence from the defence.

The case was dismissed “with prejudice”, meaning the charges cannot be refiled, with the judge saying that it was necessary to protect “the integrity of the judicial system”.

In a court filing on 31 July, which has now been made public, special prosecutor Kari Morrissey argued that the judge “misunderstood” the evidence and dropped the case “without hearing any of the testimony or argument”.

“Although the court’s final order has not yet been filed, undersigned counsel contends that the court misunderstood the testimony on July 12, 2024, and improperly dismissed the case against Mr Baldwin,” Ms Morrissey said in the documents.

In the filing, the prosecutor urged the judge not to overturn the conviction of Rust armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed as a result of Mr Baldwin’s case being dismissed.

Both Mr Baldwin and Gutierrez-Reed were charged with involuntary manslaughter in 2023 over the shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins during a scene rehearsal on a ranch just outside Santa Fe in October 2021.

Mr Baldwin was holding the prop Colt 45 during a scene rehearsal when the gun fired, with a bullet striking Ms Hutchins and director Joel Souza. Mr Souza survived but Ms Hutchins died from her injuries.

Gutierrez-Reed went on trial first and, in March, she was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter.

During closing arguments in her trial, Ms Morrissey said Gutierrez-Reed “repeatedly” failed to maintain proper firearm safety and that her negligence led to Ms Hutchins’ death, claiming that she unknowingly brought live ammunition onto the film set.

Now, Gutierrez-Reed has filed a motion to dismiss her case too, citing the same misconduct by police and prosecutors as in Mr Baldwin’s case.

Despite Mr Baldwin being free from criminal charges, Ms Hutchins’s widower Matthew Hutchins has vowed to bring him back to court through civil suits.

“We respect the court’s decision,” his attorney Brian Parish told Deadline back in July. “We look forward to presenting all the evidence to a jury and holding Mr Baldwin accountable for his actions in the senseless death of [Ms] Hutchins.”

Mr Baldwin has always maintained his innocence and said in a previous interview with ABC News that he did not pull the trigger of the gun.