The judge in the Rust shooting case this week attacked New Mexico prosecutors, citing “serious disclosure violations that constitute misconduct and false testimony at trial.”
Judge dismisses case against Alec Baldwin in 'Rust' trial
In a ruling Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer noted a number of missteps in the state’s case against Rust star and producer Alec Baldwin and, earlier, the film’s gunsmith Hannah Gutierrez-Reed over the October 2021 shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and the wounding of director Joel Souza. Sommer’s 21-page ruling said dismissal was her only option because anything else “would not cure the fundamental unfairness that the State’s misconduct, and its aftermath in the trial, introduced into the proceedings.”
Erlinda Johnson and Kari Morrisey were the special prosecutors assigned to the Rust case.
Sommer dismissed Baldwin's voluntary manslaughter case on July 12 — three days after the closely watched trial began — but Gutierrez-Reed remains in custody following her March conviction. She now plans to appeal the voluntary manslaughter conviction and 18-month prison sentence. Gutierrez-Reed was found not guilty of jury tampering.
