Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer, who presided over the trial in Santa Fe, New Mexico, said that bullets potentially linked to the death of filmmaker Halyna Hutchins, which may have been in Baldwin's favor, were not shared with her lawyers by police and the public ministry.
Upon hearing the verdict, the actor immediately began to cry, as the case, which could have seen him sentenced to 18 months in prison if found guilty, was suddenly dropped. “The state’s withholding of this information was intentional and deliberate,” the judge said. “While this conduct does not amount to bad faith, it certainly comes close to bad faith to the point of showing signs of blatant bias.”
“The court finds that this conduct causes significant harm to the defendant.”
Baldwin was holding a gun at Hutchins during a rehearsal in October 2021 when the gun went off, killing Hutchins and injuring the film’s director. The film’s gunsmith, Hannah Gutierrez, who loaded the deadly weapon, is serving an 18-month sentence for involuntary manslaughter after a trial that ended this year.
Baldwin was in court facing the same charge. Prosecutors allege the actor ignored basic gun safety laws and acted recklessly on set. Baldwin’s attorney, Alex Spiro, said the actor had no responsibility to check the contents of the gun and did not know it contained real bullets.
The defense's argument also relied heavily on discrediting the police investigation.
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