In a surprising development, First Judicial District Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer dismissed the involuntary manslaughter case against actor Alec Baldwin on Friday. The judge agreed with Baldwin's lawyers' claims that prosecutors had concealed evidence that could have been connected to the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the movie "Rust" in 2021.

Judge Sommer stated, "There is no way for the court to right this wrong. The sanction of dismissal is the only warranted remedy." The dismissal was made with prejudice, meaning that the involuntary manslaughter case cannot be filed against Baldwin again.

Had the jurors unanimously found Baldwin guilty of the felony, he could have faced up to 18 months in prison. The incident occurred on October 21, 2021, during a rehearsal scene at the Bonanza Creek Ranch in Santa Fe County. Baldwin was holding a prop revolver, which accidentally discharged, fatally shooting Hutchins and injuring director Joel Souza.

Baldwin, best known for his role on "30 Rock" and his appearances on "Saturday Night Live," had pleaded not guilty. He maintained that he was unaware the revolver contained a live round and that it went off unintentionally after following instructions to point it towards Hutchins.

Baldwin's legal team argued that the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office had failed to document the possession of live rounds of ammunition as evidence and had not disclosed their existence to the defense. The special prosecutor in the case, Kari Morrissey, countered that the disputed ammunition was unrelated to the case. She claimed it differed in size and composition from the live rounds retrieved from the "Rust" set, including the one that caused Hutchins' death.

Following the dismissal, Morrissey expressed disappointment with the court's decision but stated that she respected it. She asserted that the importance of the evidence had been misunderstood by the defense.

During the trial, a sheriff's office crime scene technician, Marissa Poppell, testified that the rounds in question had not been concealed from Baldwin's lawyers. She also refuted the defense's claim that the Colt .45 ammunition matched the round that killed Hutchins.

The Colt .45 rounds were delivered to the sheriff's office in March by former police officer Troy Teske, a friend of Thell Reed, the stepfather of "Rust" armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed. Gutierrez-Reed was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in Hutchins' death and sentenced to 18 months in prison. However, the dismissal of Baldwin's case raises the possibility of her conviction being overturned.

Earlier in the week, Judge Marlowe Sommer ruled that Baldwin's role as a co-producer on "Rust" was not relevant to the trial, a decision that favored the actor. Baldwin, a three-time Emmy winner, has a notable career in both television and film.

Originally charged with involuntary manslaughter and a firearm enhancement charge, Baldwin had the latter charge dropped. The charges against him were entirely dismissed in April 2023 due to "new facts in the case." However, in January, he was indicted once again on an involuntary manslaughter charge.

Baldwin's lawyers had attempted to have the case dismissed by highlighting damage to the firearm during forensic testing at an FBI lab, but their motion was denied.

Overall, the dismissal of the involuntary manslaughter case against Alec Baldwin has brought an unexpected twist to the tragic incident on the set of "Rust" in 2021.