AceShowbiz - On Friday, July 12, the third day of Alec Baldwin's involuntary manslaughter trial, a New Mexico judge dismissed the charges, citing prosecutors' concealment of live ammunition related to the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.

Baldwin, overcome with emotion, broke down in tears upon hearing the verdict. He and his wife, Hilaria, embraced in the courtroom.

The judge, Mary Marlowe Sommer, ruled that the state's "willful withholding of this information was intentional and deliberate." She emphasized that the evidence, which could have been relevant to the case, was "concealed" from the defense.

The missing evidence was brought to light on Thursday, July 11 when a crime scene technician testified that a retired police officer had turned over live ammunition that could be connected to the shooting. Baldwin's defense team alleged that the ammunition was filed under a different case number and had not been shared with them.

Prosecutors argued that the ammunition did not match the live rounds found on the "Rust" set. However, Judge Sommer dismissed this claim, stating that the evidence should have been shared with the defense regardless.

Sommer ruled that the case could not be retried as it was dismissed with prejudice. This means that Baldwin will not face charges for the same offense again.

The defense team's motion to dismiss the case prompted a series of events, including the resignation of one of the special prosecutors and a marathon hearing with multiple witnesses.

In 2023, prosecutors had initially dismissed a similar charge against Baldwin but refiled it in January, claiming he had shown reckless disregard for gun safety on set. Baldwin pleaded not guilty and maintained that he did not pull the trigger when the gun fired.

Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the armorer for "Rust", was convicted of involuntary manslaughter earlier this year. Baldwin's defense team has argued that he was an actor doing his job and trusted the crew to ensure weapon safety.