Alec Baldwin 'Rust' case dismissed: What led to the judge's ruling?

On Friday, following two days of testimony, the judge in Alec Baldwin’s involuntary manslaughter case dismissed all charges against the actor related to the 2021 shooting death of Rust cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. The decision came after Baldwin’s lawyer accused police and prosecutors of withholding evidence related to ammunition used on the New Mexico set of the Western film.

This ends a long legal battle for Baldwin, 66, who claims he did not pull the trigger on the gun that discharged a bullet and killed Hutchins during rehearsal for Rust. The film's armorer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in March and is serving an 18-month sentence. Here’s what happened this week in the case, and how we got here.

Monday

In addition to starring in the film, Baldwin was a co-producer on Rust. However, Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer of the 1st District Court in New Mexico ruled Monday that Baldwin could not be held liable in his role as a producer for the shooting death of Hutchins. Instead, he would be tried as an actor in the film.

Sommer also ruled that the jury could view videos that allegedly showed Baldwin behaving recklessly with guns on set. Baldwin has long claimed he was unaware the gun he was using for the scene had live ammunition.

Tuesday

After a day of questioning, attorneys selected 12 jurors and four alternates for Baldwin’s case. In total, 11 women and five men were chosen.

Prior to selection, the potential jurors were asked questions about whether they had read up on the case, as well as their relationship to firearms and the film industry. They also questioned how much they knew about Baldwin, including his politics, to assess for bias.

Wednesday

Wednesday marked the first day of Baldwin's trial in Santa Fe, N.M. The actor, who faced up to 18 months in prison if convicted, was supported by his family, including wife Hilaria Baldwin and brother Stephen Baldwin.

The jury heard opening statements from both sides and testimony from four witnesses. Baldwin’s lawyer Alex Spiro argued that it was not the actor’s responsibility to check the gun’s safety and that Baldwin was told the gun was “cold” (meaning it did not contain live ammunition). He also argued that no one saw Baldwin intentionally pull the trigger.

Thursday

On the second day in court, Spiro cross-examined crime scene technician Marissa Poppell, focusing on the allegedly disorganized evidence collection following the shooting, which he claimed could have led to the covering up of evidence.

Poppell testified that the gun, which was found to have live rounds, was handled without gloves. Poppell also said that the gun used in the shooting was sent to the FBI for testing and was returned broken, despite prior warnings that the testing might damage it.

The technician also testified that live ammunition had been found in multiple places on set, including a prop cart, an ammo box and in the gun holsters used by both Baldwin and actor Jensen Ackles.

In addition, Poppell testified that the investigative team searched a messy prop truck one week after the shooting. Spiro alleged that tampering could have occurred and noted that it was the only place without live ammunition.

Spiro criticized the crime scene team's thoroughness during their search of the prop truck and ammunition provider Seth Kenney’s warehouse. He pointed out that investigators didn't check all the boxes or take surveillance video from the warehouse, which he alleged could have shown evidence being destroyed.

Friday

On the final day in court, the defense argued that the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office acquired live rounds as evidence in March but did not include them in the Rust investigation file or inform the defense lawyers. Lead state prosecutor Kari Morrissey defended herself from the witness stand, stating that she did not intend to “mislead the court.” Special prosecutor Erlinda Ocampo Johnson resigned the same day.

Ultimately, the judge sided with the defense and dismissed Baldwin’s case “with prejudice,” agreeing that prosecutors withheld evidence about the live rounds.

Baldwin and wife Hilaria both wept in court upon the dismissal.

What’s next?

While the ruling doesn’t impact the civil cases still pending, it ends any criminal responsibility for Baldwin in Hutchins’s death. Baldwin still faces civil lawsuits from Hutchins’s parents and sister.

In Oct. 2022, Baldwin and Rust producers reached a settlement with the Hutchins estate and her husband, Matthew Hutchins, to end a wrongful death suit. However, a new civil case was filed in Feb. 2023 and again in June 2024.

Brian J. Parish, the lawyer for Hutchins’s widower, told Deadline following the court dismissal Friday, “We respect the court’s decision. We look forward to presenting all the evidence to a jury and holding Mr. Baldwin accountable for his actions in the senseless death of Halyna Hutchins.”

Gutierrez-Reed's attorney told NBC News that they planned to file a motion for dismissal early next week given the ruling in Baldwin's trial, citing misconduct from the prosecution.

"We are going to be filing on the same basis on discovery violations which have occurred throughout her case and continue to occur," Jason Bowles, the armorer's attorney, told the outlet on Thursday.

It’s unclear whether the Western film Rust will ever be released. If it is, money from it could go to financially supporting Hutchins’s young son. The film, which continued production in April, is seeking distribution.

On Saturday, Baldwin took to Instagram to share a photo of himself from court, writing, “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.”

Additional reporting by Suzy Byrne.