Alec Baldwin won’t have to worry about his involuntary manslaughter charge returning to court after its initial dismissal. Judge Mary Marlow Sommer, who shut down the “Rust” shooting case in July, upheld her decision at Thursday’s hearing. Sommer noted prosecutors failed to show adequate reasons to revive the case in their amended motion. Her ruling read:
“The Court concludes that the State does not raise any factual or legal arguments that would justify the grant of a motion to reconsider.”
“Therefore, the Amended Motion is not well taken and should be denied,” the judge declared. Sommer also shut down the retrial motion because prosecutors failed to bring new arguments. She further slammed them for not filing the correct documents on time.
Despite her ruling in Baldwin’s favor, a source claimed prosecutor Kari Morrissey planned to appeal. He has been gunning for the actor’s punishment over the “Rust” set tragedy in October 2021. Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was killed, and director Joel Souza was injured during a rehearsal at the Bonanza Creek Ranch.
The gun Baldwin was holding fired off a live round, but he vehemently insisted he never pulled the trigger. While the judge’s decision to uphold the dismissal is excellent news for Baldwin, his battles are not over. According to Deadline, he still faces nearly a dozen civil suits over the “Rust” tragedy.
Judge Dismisses Alec Baldwin’s ‘Rust’ Case Over ‘Prosecutorial Misconduct’
Three months before prosecutors lost their amended motion, Judge Sommer dismissed Baldwin’s shooting case in July over “prosecutorial misconduct.” She agreed with the actor’s lawyers that prosecutors had concealed vital evidence in the case.
According to Baldwin’s legal team, proof of live ammunition on the set was hidden, thereby hindering their defense preparations. Prosecutors actions presented a conflict of interest, to which Judge Sommer noted:
“There is no way for the court to right this wrong. The sanction of dismissal is the only warranted remedy.”
The Baldwin family broke down at her words, with Alec and his wife Hilaria bursting into tears. The couple shared a warm hug, tightly holding on to each other as people exited the courtroom. The dismissal was the best outcome for the “Boss Baby” star, who maintained his innocence throughout the trial.
He claimed he never knew the revolver on the film’s set contained a live round. Baldwin stressed that the gun discharged accidentally when he followed instructions to point it toward the late cinematographer. We reported that if convicted on the involuntary manslaughter charge, the actor could have faced 18 months in jail.
Has Alec Baldwin finally put the “Rust” shooting behind him?
