In a TRULY stunning turn of events, the judge in Alec Baldwin's involuntary manslaughter trial related to the death of a person on the Rust movie set was DISMISSED with prejudice after a hearing on Brady violations was held on Friday.
I know, I just threw a lot of legal jargon at you guys, so I am going to explain exactly what happened - and why this was absolutely the correct decision.
Some definitions:
BRADY VIOLATION: This is a very serious violation that occurs when a prosecutor fails to provide a defendant or their defense attorneys with favorable evidence that could help their case. It is a direct violation of the defendant's constitutional rights. It is a high bar to prove, but if met, often leads to a reversal after conviction, a dismissal of charges or a mistrial.
DISMISSAL WITH PREJUDICE: A permanent decision that ends a case and prevents it from being brought back to court - unless the prosecutor appeals and wins.
So what exactly happened in this trial? Simply put, the prosecutors and the Sheriff's Department withheld information and evidence. That evidence was the existence of ammunition that was brought into the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office in March by a person who said it could be related to the death from the set of Rust. Prosecutors felt it was unimportant, but the defense allege they "buried it."
The judge agreed, ruling that “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. If this conduct does not rise to the level of bad faith it certainly comes so near to bad faith to show signs of scorching.”
Mind you, this all happened AFTER the 12 jurors had been sworn in. Extra bad.
This decision ends Alec Baldwin's 3-year nightmare following the accidental shooting of Halyna Hutchins. The revolver he was shooting was supposed to be armed with blanks, not live ammunition. The armorer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, was sentenced to 18 months in prison for involuntary manslaughter after her trial. Baldwin was facing the same sentence if he was convicted.
Baldwin still faces civil lawsuits, but he is no longer facing criminal prosecution.
What does the future hold for the prosecutors and the sheriff's crime scene technician, Marissa Poppell? Well, midway through the hearing on Friday, one of the prosecutors, Erlinda Ocampo Johnson, abruptly RESIGNED. Based on the very public embarrassment, I predict more people will resign (or be encouraged to resign).
Regardless of your views on the criminal justice system, that was the CORRECT ruling following a Brady Violation.
