Hollywood star Alec Baldwin can breathe a sigh of relief as the manslaughter case against him over the involuntary fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins has been dismissed.
The judge criticised prosecutors for failing to turn over a batch of bullets to the defence, reports ‘Variety’.
Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer threw out the case, ruling that no other sanction was sufficient.
“The state is highly culpable for its failure to provide discovery to the defendant,” Marlowe Sommer said.
“Dismissal with prejudice is warranted.”
According to ‘Variety’, Marlowe Sommer ruled that under the principle of double jeopardy, Baldwin cannot be retried. She made it clear that she was appalled at the prosecution’s failures.
“If this conduct does not rise to the level of bad faith, it certainly comes so close to bad faith as to show signs of scorching prejudice,” the judge said.
Gasps were heard in the courtroom as Baldwin received hugs and congratulations from his family and supporters. He and his wife, Hilaria, were in tears. They exited the courthouse and entered a black Chevy Suburban without addressing the throngs of media outside.
“This was a disaster for the New Mexico judicial system,” said John Day, a lawyer and local legal commentator.
“They got a huge allocation of public funds to prosecute this case. And this is what happened with that. This was an absolute catastrophe.”
The judge reprimanded lead state prosecutor Kari Morrissey and her team, stating, “they have continued to fail to disclose critical evidence to the defendant.”
The defence argued that prosecutors deliberately hid bullets that were turned over to investigators in March, which were relevant to the case. Erlinda Johnson, one of two special prosecutors, resigned from the case on Friday amid turmoil over the evidence.