US court tosses actor Alec Baldwin's manslaughter case
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00:00scenes in the Santa Fe court as Alec Baldwin's involuntary manslaughter trial is dismissed.
00:06The Hollywood star had been accused of violating firearms guidelines when fatally shooting
00:10cinematographer Helena Hutchins on the set of the Western Rust in October 2021. Baldwin
00:16maintains the shooting was an accident. The judge ruled that the prosecution had failed
00:21to submit evidence that may have favoured the defendant.
00:25The state's willful withholding of this information was intentional and deliberate. If this conduct
00:30does not rise to the level of bad faith, it certainly comes so near to bad faith as to
00:35show signs of scorching. When discovery has been produced late, prejudice does not accrue
00:41unless the evidence is material and the disclosure is so late that it undermines the defendant's
00:48preparation for trial.
00:50The prosecution was alleged to have withheld evidence in the form of ammunition which could
00:54have shown that the prop supplier and not the film's production was at fault for live
00:59rounds ending up on set. The prosecutor, while accepting the court's decision, disagreed
01:05with this interpretation.
01:08There is no reason to believe that the evidence that we discussed in court today was related
01:18to the set of Rust. It never left the state of Arizona. There is absolutely no evidence
01:26that any of that ammunition is related to the incident involving Ms Hutchins.
01:32Baldwin could have faced up to 18 months in prison if found guilty. He cannot now face
01:37trial on the same charges. The film's armourer, who was sentenced to 18 months for involuntary
01:43manslaughter in March, is also expected to file to have her conviction overturned.