In an astonishing set of developments, Alec Baldwin 's involuntary manslaughter trial has been dismissed after his lawyer successfully argued misconduct by state investigators probing the fatal shooting of Rust cinematographer Halyna Hutchins . Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer granted Baldwin's attorney Alex Spiro's motion to dismiss the case with prejudice -- meaning Baldwin can't be tried again -- on Friday in the First Judicial District Court in Santa Fe, New Mexico, after Spiro argued that state investigators failed to properly disclose evidence in the case. "The late discovery of this evidence has impacted the fundamental fairness of the proceedings," Sommer said.
"There is no way for the court to right this wrong. The sanction of dismissal is the only warranted remedy." After Sommer granted the motion to dismiss, Baldwin, 66, could be seen sobbing following a trial that barely lasted three days.
He had been facing a single charge of involuntary manslaughter and faced up to 18 months in prison if convicted. The stunning set of events kicked off when testimony came to a screeching halt Friday after Baldwin's legal team accused prosecutors of failing to properly turn over evidence in the case. Specifically, Baldwin's legal team alleged that the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office took possession of live rounds of ammo as evidence but failed to record them in the official case file.
The defense also alleged prosecutors failed to reveal that this ammo even existed. On Thursday, a sher.
