“The late discovery of this evidence has impacted the fundamental fairness of the proceedings,” Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer stated in dismissing the case.

“There is no way for the court to right this wrong. The sanction of dismissal is the only warranted remedy.”

Early on in the hearing Judge Sommer slid on pair of blue surgical gloves and sliced intothe evidence a bag containing the ammunition, which Baldwin’s attorneys have said the Santa Fe Sheriff’s Office and prosecutors withheld from them. By the end of the day, one of the two special prosecutors in the trial, Erlindo Ocampo Johnson, had resigned and special prosecutor Kari Morrissey had called herself to the witness stand.

Baldwin and his attorneys left the courthouse after the trial without saying a word to press gathered outside. Morrissey stopped and spoke to cameras. “I respect the court’s decision,” the prosecutor said, “But there is absolutely no evidence that any of that ammunition was related to the incident with Miss Hutchins.”

In a shocking motion to have the case dismissed, which Baldwin filed Friday morning, his attorneys said prosecutors and Santa Fe sheriffs had concealed evidence from Baldwin.

The evidence emerged in March, after the conclusion of the trial of the indie Western’s armorer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed. On March 6, the filing says, retired Arizona police officer Troy Teske turned over a collection of live ammunition to the Santa Fe sheriff’s office, where the bullets were accepted by crime scene technician Marissa Poppell, but not inventoried with the Rust case. Teske told Poppell that among the rounds he was handing over that day were Starline brass casings with nickel primers, matching the live bullet that killed Hutchins, according to Baldwin’s filing. The sheriff department’s knowledge and possession of the rounds was not disclosed to the defense, nor were they presented at the defense’s evidence viewing April 16, the filing said.

By 10:15 am, the judge sent home the jury for the weekend: “I’m sorry, trials are fluid.”

The shooting occurred inside a rustic New Mexico church set at roughly 1:40 p.m. on Oct. 21, 2021, when an old-fashioned revolver Baldwin was handling went off as he was rehearsing a cross-draw maneuver. Prior to that, assistant director David Halls handed him the loaded weapon, pronouncing it “cold,” an industry term to signify there was no live ammunition inside (Halls has testified armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed handed the gun directly to Baldwin). The revolver discharged in the direction of Hutchins, who was killed, and director Joel Souza, who was injured. Five live rounds mixed in with dummy rounds were found on set following the shooting. It remains unknown how they were introduced.