A New Mexico judge today dropped manslaughter charges against actor Alec Baldwin after his attorneys cited a procedural error because as the police and the prosecutor's office did not give them access to evidence in the case, reported Reuters, quoted by BTA.
Judge Mary Marlowe Summer dismissed the trial for withholding evidence, condemning the prosecution's conduct as "bordering on bad faith,", according to AFP.
"Such behavior is extremely harmful to the accused,", the judge told the 66-year-old actor, who immediately broke down in tears and hugged his wife Hilaria.
Alec Baldwin was threatened with up to 18 months in prison because of the tragedy that occurred in October 2021 in the state of New Mexico.
On the set of the film "Rust" the star brandished a gun that was supposed to contain only blanks but fired a live bullet. The shot killed cameraman Halina Hutchins and wounded director Joel Souza.
Marked by numerous twists and turns, the investigation never established how live ammunition, absolutely prohibited on the set, ended up there.
Baldwin's lawyers accused police of "burying" evidence that could explain the tragedy.
At the beginning of the year, two and a half years after the events, the Santa Fe Sheriff received a batch of cartridges from a former police officer who claimed that the ammunition matched the fatal bullet. This would allow to establish its origin and clarify who is responsible for the tragedy.
However, the cartridges were never handed over to the defense, who failed to examine them.
After the judge's decision was announced, Alec Baldwin left the courthouse without speaking to reporters.