Baldwin breaks down as judge throws out 'Rust' case

Alec Baldwin wept in court after his high-profile criminal trial, in which he faced an involuntary manslaughter charge over the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, was thrown out by a New Mexico judge.

- MIKE BEDIGAN

The case was dismissed yesterday after it was found that the state had withheld evidence that could have shed light on how live rounds got onto the set of the Rust movie, where the cinematographer was fatally shot.

"There is no way for the court to right this wrong," Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer said in court adding that dismissal of the case was needed to ensure "the integrity of the judicial system".

"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," Judge Marlowe Sommer said. "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."