A New Mexico court has dismissed charges against actor Alec Baldwin.
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The case of the unintentional murder of cameraman Galina Gatchins on the set of the film “Rzhavchina” was closed. The lawyers proved that the prosecution had hidden important evidence, so the judge admitted that the case against the actor was biased. If Baldwin had been found guilty, he would have received up to 18 months in prison.
The court has no opportunity to correct this error, said Judge Mary Merlow Sommer.
The dismissal for bias clears Baldwin of charges that could have carried a maximum sentence of 18 months in prison.
Baldwin’s lawyers moved to dismiss the case, arguing that the government failed to disclose that it had received a batch of ammunition related to the incident during the trial.
The failure to disclose new important evidence created a serious legal problem because the state is required to disclose the protection of new key evidence.
Since the batch of cartridges could shed light on how the prop gun Baldwin used on set contained non-blank charges that led to the death of cameraman Galina Gatchins, the court classified this evidence as “important.”
The prosecutor’s office will not be able to appeal to the same authority with similar charges.
In April 2024, Rust director Hannah Gutierrez-Reed was sentenced to 18 months in prison for the manslaughter of Ukrainian camerawoman Galina Gatchins on a film set in 2021. She loaded live ammunition into the revolver that actor Alec Baldwin fired.
Jurors find that Gutierrez-Reed unknowingly loaded live ammunition into the gun that Baldwin fired during a rehearsal in Gutchins. He is also charged with manslaughter. He has pleaded not guilty.
Source: Racurs
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.