Hollywood star Alec Baldwin’s trial has been halted by a judge after evidence was suppressed. The American actor was sentenced to 18 months in prison. Baldwin insisted he did not pull the trigger on the gun.

During the filming of the western “Rust” the investigative drama surrounding the fatal shooting came to a surprising conclusion – there were emotional scenes in the Santa Fe (New Mexico) court. Actor Alec Baldwin, charged with involuntary manslaughter, broke down in tears as the judge drew the line in the sand. At the request of Baldwin’s defense attorneys, Judge Mary Marlow Sommer dismissed the case against the Hollywood star on Friday (local time) due to withheld evidence.

They had accused the prosecution counsel of withholding evidence and thereby engaging in misconduct. With a serious expression, the judge agreed after a frame of back and forth in the courtroom. Delayed discovery of this evidence would affect the “fundamental fairness” of the investigation, Sommer said. The court has no way of correcting this oversight, she continued. Dismissal is the only legal remedy.

Baldwin tearfully listened to the judge. He took off his glasses, squinted, relieved, and lowered his head with a hand over his eyes. The actor hugged his lawyers and then collapsed into the arms of his wife, Hilaria Baldwin.

Imprisonment of up to 18 months

If convicted, the father of eight faces up to 18 months in prison. After these dramatic events, he left the court a free man. On the way out, he was mobbed by reporters, but Baldwin initially did not comment.

The trial, which began Tuesday, questioned whether the 66-year-old actor was negligent in shooting a cameraman on the set of the 2021 western “Rust” and should go to jail. . At the request of the director, the lead actor Baldwin pulled out a revolver during rehearsals. But instead of harmless blank bullets, live ammunition was released. Halina Hutchins, 42, a cameraman, was fatally wounded by the bullet.

Baldwin’s defense attorneys said the prosecution withheld important evidence from them. It’s about bullets that appeared a few months ago and were presented in an envelope by a judge in court on Friday. He wore blue protective gloves and examined the explosives in front of defense lawyers and prosecutors. In the defense attorney’s view, the explosives should have been part of the ballistics investigation — but the state attorney’s office suppressed it, Baldwin’s lawyers argued.

It is not clear where the ammunition came from

The question of where the live ammunition that reached the Western shooting site in 2021 came from is still not fully clarified. This spring, young gunsmith Hannah Gutierrez-Reid was put on trial in Santa Fe. He is responsible for safety while handling weapons during shooting. In addition to the blank bullets and the so-called fake bullets, investigators found six genuine bullets. One of these was inserted into the revolver cylinder during loading. Prosecutors accused Gutierrez-Reed of ignoring safety precautions and failing to inspect the explosives. A jury in March found the young woman guilty of involuntary manslaughter. Judge Somer imposed the maximum sentence – 18 months in prison.

A former police officer provided the live ammunition now shown in court to investigators in Santa Fe in March. But Chief Prosecutor Gary D. Morrissey decided that they had nothing to do with the case because, in his view, they were very different from the bullets in the “Rust” set. The judge has now questioned that. He criticized Morrissey for not including this potential evidence in the Rust trial documents and withholding it from defense attorneys. Baldwin’s attorney, Luke Nikas, complained in court that evidence was withheld from them.

“I didn’t pull the trigger”

For Baldwin, a long, legal roller coaster ride with a threatened prison sentence is coming to an end. The actor has maintained his innocence from the start. A few weeks after the death, he insisted in a television interview: “I didn’t pull the trigger.” He would never point a gun at a person and pull the trigger. He “didn’t know” how the live ammunition got into the weapon.

The first charges against Baldwin and Gutierrez-Reid came in January 2023, but the charges against the actor were initially dropped three months later. It was said then that further investigations and forensic investigations were required. FBI investigators tested, among other things, whether Colt’s possible malfunction could have led to its elimination. According to gun experts report, the trigger should have been pulled. With new evidence, Baldwin was arraigned in January 2024 – again pleading “not guilty”.

Even after the Baldwin trial, there are still unanswered questions. Gutierrez-Reid appealed the guilty verdict against him weeks ago, and the armorer is seeking a new trial. The public will soon learn about the Baldwins. In June, the couple announced a new family plan. The reality show “The Baldwins” is scheduled to debut next year on American broadcaster TLC. (APA/Reuters)