Alec Baldwin's Post-Case Dismissal Breakdown Has Everyone Saying The Same Thing
After three years of legal maneuvering, court appearances, and constant denials, Alec Baldwin's involuntary manslaughter charge was dismissed on July 12, 2024. Still, now that the actor is off the hook, legally speaking, everybody is asking the same thing: "What about Hannah Reed?"
Social media lit up following the news that Baldwin's "Rust" movie-set shooting case was thrown out following accusations of prosecutorial misconduct. Commenters on X, formerly Twitter, wanted to know if the same rule would be applied to the movie's armorer, Hannah Reed, who was sentenced to 18 months for involuntary manslaughter in April. "So will Hannah Reed now be found not liable or granted a new trial since it greatly affects her too," one asked. "Now that Karen Reed is free! We must free Hannah Reed!" wrote another. "Both sides in Alec Baldwin trial have spent most of today arguing about this 'new evidence' (ammo) that was brought to investigators by a 'concerned party' who very conveniently waited until after Hannah Reed's trial was over to come forward," a third noted.
#AlecBaldwin breaks down in tears seconds after hearing the involuntary manslaughter against him is dropped and will NOT be refiled. pic.twitter.com/fn5cV5sjQP
— KJ Matthews (@KJMatthewstv) July 12, 2024
Baldwin's "Rust" trial came to a skidding halt after his defense team claimed the prosecution concealed rounds of live ammo that were handed over to the Santa Fe sheriff's office by a friend of Reed's stepfather on the day of her conviction. The prosecution argued that the bullets had no relevance to Baldwin's case. However, Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer disagreed. She dismissed the case with prejudice, preventing Baldwin from being tried again in the future.
What's next for Hannah Reed?
Alec Baldwin was standing trial for the involuntary manslaughter of Halyna Hutchins in October 2021. The actor was on the set of the movie "Rust" when the prop gun he was holding fired a live round, killing the cinematographer and injuring director Joel Souza. Baldwin has maintained that he did not squeeze the trigger before the gun fired. Still, the prosecution argued that he was behaving recklessly. "When someone plays make-believe with a real gun in a real-life workplace and while playing make-believe with that gun, violates the cardinal rules of firearm safety, people's lives are endangered, and someone could be killed," prosecutor Erlinda Johnson insisted (via The Telegraph).
The defense team's claim that evidence was suppressed directly affects Hannah Reed's conviction. Prosecutors insist that Reed, who was the film's armorer, was the source of the live ammo. However, the bullets that were handed over to the sheriff's office throw doubt on their claim. The Colt .45 munitions match the bullet that killed Hutchins and are purported to have come from the movie's prop supplier, Seth Kenney, not Reed.
Reed's attorneys leaped into action following news of Baldwin's verdict. "The judge found intentional misconduct, and we also have had the same failures in Hannah's case by the State. We will be moving for dismissal of Hannah's case," Jason Bowles announced (via The Independent).