Judge in Alec Baldwin’sRustTrial Declines to Reconsider Her Decision to Dismiss the Case

Mar. 15, 2025

Alec Baldwin (left) and Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer (right).Photo:Ross D. Franklin - Pool/Getty

Ross D. Franklin - Pool/Getty

On Thursday, Oct. 24, Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer, whodismissed the case with prejudiceon the third day of Baldwin’s trial in July, wrote a newrulingrebuking special prosecutor Kari T. Morrissey for raising “arguments previously made” in court and new arguments that prosecutors “elected not to raise earlier” in the motion.

The judge also wrote that Morrissey’s “permissible time period for initiating an appeal ended on Aug. 30, 2024.”

“Considering the arguments of the State set forth in the Amended Motion and Reply, the Court concludes that the State does not raise any factual or legal arguments that would justify the grant of a motion to reconsider. Therefore, the Amended Motion is not well taken and should be denied,” the judge wrote.

Alec Baldwin in court on July 10.Ross D. Franklin - Pool/Getty

Baldwin was holding a gun on the New Mexico set of the Western movie in 2021 when it discharged, killing cinematographerHalyna Hutchinsand injuringdirector Joel Souza. Though heclaimed he did not pull the triggeror know why the gun accidentally contained live ammunition, a grand jury indicted him in January.

During the trial, the defense argued that the prosecution, including Morrissey, had buried evidence that was relevant: In the spring, a man named Troy Teske — a friend of Thell Reed, the father of Rust armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, who wasfound guilty of involuntary manslaughterin March — had turned over ammunition to authorities he thought was connected to the case.

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But the bullets — which Baldwin’s lawyers argued could have helped explain how live ammunition made it on to the set — was filed separately from otherRustevidence and never turned over to the defense.

Baldwin’s lawyers asked Sommer to dismiss the case, and she complied. “The late discovery of this evidence during trial has impeded the effective use of evidence in such a way that it has impacted the fundamental fairness of the proceedings,” she said in court on July 12, prompting Baldwin to break down in tears.

Kari T. Morrissey in court on July 12.RAMSAY DE GIVE/POOL/AFP via Getty

RAMSAY DE GIVE/POOL/AFP via Getty

Seven weeks later, Morrissey asked Sommer to reevaluate her decision, writing, “the State asserts that there were insufficient facts to support the Court’s ruling and there was no violation of the Defendant’s due process rights.”

Baldwin’s lawyerswrote a scathing response Sept. 20, accusing Morrissey of “abuse of the judicial process.”

“She repeatedly violated the State’s disclosure obligations, buried evidence, lied about it at trial, and then lied about her reasons for lying about it,” Baldwin’s legal team claimed in their response.

“Not only has the State failed to present any new information to warrant reconsideration, but the new information that has emerged since trial only underscores the strength and necessity of the Court’s judgment,” they continued.

source: people.com