A New Mexico judge dismisses involuntary manslaughter charges against Alec Baldwin on July 12, 2024 (local time) after his lawyers allege police hid evidence of the source of the live round that killed 'Rust' cinematographer Halyna Hutchins in 2021. Three days after Baldwin's trial began in New Mexico, Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer ruled after hearing evidence on the defense request made earlier on the same day. The actor's lawyers said the Santa Fe sheriff's office took possession of live rounds as evidence in the case but failed to list them in the 'Rust' investigation file or disclose their existence to defense lawyers. 'The Colt .45 rounds at the center of the dismissal were handed into the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office on March 6 by Troy Teske, a friend of Thell Reed, the stepfather of "Rust' armorer Hannah Gutierrez, on the same day Gutierrez was convicted of involuntary manslaughter for Hutchins' death. Prosecutors allege Baldwin played a role in the death of Hutchins because he handled the gun irresponsibly. His lawyers say Baldwin was failed by Gutierrez and others responsible for safety on the set, and that law enforcement agents were more interested in prosecuting their client than finding the source of a live round that killed Hutchins.
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