Judge refuses to reopen Alex Baldwin’s criminal trial over shooting on ‘Rust’ set

In this Sept. 21, 2015 file photo, actor Alec Baldwin attends a news conference at United Nations headquarters. A prop firearm discharged by veteran actor Alec Baldwin, who is starring and producing a Western movie, killed his director of photography and injured the director Thursday, Oct. 21, 2021 at the movie set outside Santa Fe, N.M., the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office said. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)
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The judge in Alec Baldwin’s criminal trial has denied a motion to revive the case.

The 66-year-old actor was standing trial in July over the death of Halyna Hutchins – who was fatally shot on the set of ‘Rust’ in 2021 – when Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer dismissed the case after his legal team argued prosecutors had hidden evidence relating to the passing of the cinematographer, and Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer has now denied a motion from the prosecution to revive the case.

Special prosecutor Kari T Morrissey recently requested that the case be reconsidered. However, Judge Sommer has dismissed the request, noting that the motion exceeded a ten-page limit on briefs filed without permission.

In a statement given to PEOPLE, Morrissey – who was accused of direct involvement in the decision to withhold evidence – subsequently said: “The ten-page motion has already been filed. I cannot comment beyond that.”

Baldwin was indicted by a New Mexico grand jury in January after the gun he was holding during a 2021 rehearsal on the set of ‘Rust’ discharged, killing Hutchins and injuring the film’s director, Joel Souza.

The Hollywood star has subsequently maintained that he didn’t pull the trigger of the gun or know why it contained live ammunition.

Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the film’s armourer, was jailed for 18 months in April after being found guilty of charges connected to the incident.

‘Rust’ resumed filming and finished its shoot in May 2023, saying in an Instagram post marking its completion: “It’s been a long and difficult road. But we reach the end of the trail today.”

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