To the surprise of many, Alec Baldwin’s Rust case was recently dismissed. Though the case against the actor had been dismissed once before, it was reopened by New Mexico special prosecutors, which once again put Baldwin at risk of criminal conviction. Below, we’ll look at why the case was dismissed a second time, the charges against him, and whether they can be filed again.
Why were the Rust shooting charges against Alec Baldwin dropped again?
Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer dismissed the charges against Alec Baldwin because the defense wasn’t given the opportunity to examine a potentially crucial piece of evidence, according to NPR. When The armorer on Rust, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed faced trial for involentary manslaughter a collection of ammunition was turned in from the set that Baldwin’s defence didn’t get a chance to look at.
The biggest question about the incident was how live ammo could have been on the set in the first place. While Gutierrez-Reed was on trial, a friend of her father’s, Troy Teske, turned in a collection of ammo to the Santa Fe Sherriff’s Office. Teske said that these rounds were from the same batch as the live ammo that made its way into the firearm that fired the shot that killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and injured director Joel Souza. However, the ammo was filed under a different case number, and prosecutor Kari Morrissey stated she didn’t think they were relevant to Baldwin’s trial.
Baldwin’s legal team disagreed with Morrissey’s assumption and filed for dismissal. Judge Sommer found merit in the claim and ruled that the case against Baldwin be dismissed with prejudice.
What were the charges against Alec Baldwin?
On January 31, 2023, Baldwin was charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter. However, the second charge was dropped as it had been filed under a version of New Mexico law that had not passed until after the shooting took place.
The charges against Baldwin were dropped entirely in April 2023, but special prosecutors reopened the case on October 17, 2023. In January 2024, a grand jury indicted Baldwin on involuntary manslaughter.
Can the case against Alex Baldwin be refiled?
Since Judge Sommer dismissed the case against Baldwin with prejudice, he cannot be charged with the same crime again by New Mexican authorities.
