Washington [US], December 24 : The case against Alec Baldwin in the tragic shooting on the set of 'Rust' is finally over. Nearly six months after a Santa Fe judge dismissed the involuntary criminal charges against him, the Santa Fe District Attorney's Office announced that the case is closed, as reported by the Hollywood Reporter.
Special prosecutor Kari Morrissey, on Monday, withdrew the state's appeal that had been filed in November. If the appeal had moved forward, it would have challenged the decision made by the court to drop the charges against Baldwin in the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.
In a joint statement to The Hollywood Reporter, Baldwin's lawyers, Luke Nikas and Alex Spiro, said, "Today's decision to dismiss the appeal is the final vindication of what Alec Baldwin and his attorneys have said from the beginning this was an unspeakable tragedy but Alec Baldwin committed no crime." They also added, "The rule of law remains intact in New Mexico."
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the charges against Baldwin were dismissed with prejudice on July 12 after a court hearing. Earlier that day, the judge had reviewed some ammunition that Baldwin's lawyers said had been withheld from them by police and prosecutors. A prosecutor resigned during the hearing, and another prosecutor testified as a witness.
Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer ruled that the case should be dismissed, saying the late discovery of evidence had "impacted the fundamental fairness of the proceedings." She stated that the only right course of action was to dismiss the case.
A few weeks after the dismissal, Judge Sommer also criticized the prosecution for misconduct, saying they had "intentionally and deliberately withheld" key evidence. She also accused prosecutor Kari Morrissey of failing to meet legal obligations and giving "inconsistent" testimony about the evidence that was suppressed, reported The Hollywood Reporter.
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