Alec Baldwin's 'Rust' case ends as prosecutor drops appeal
The involuntary manslaughter case against Hollywood actor Alec Baldwin, in connection with the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of Rust, has come to an end. Special Prosecutor Kari Morrissey announced on Monday (US local time) that she is withdrawing her appeal against a judge's order that dismissed the case. This comes after the state attorney general's office said it didn't plan to "exhaustively pursue the appeal on behalf of the prosecution."
Earlier, Baldwin's trial was dismissed due to the prosecution's error
Baldwin was charged with involuntary manslaughter after Hutchins's death in October 2021. The prosecution sought to establish that Baldwin acted recklessly and with criminal negligence when he discharged a Colt .45 while rehearsing for a scene in the movie. However, Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer dismissed the case on the trial's third day after learning that the prosecution had failed to share key evidence—a collection of bullets—with the defense.
Defense argued Baldwin wasn't responsible for gun safety
Baldwin's lawyers argued that the prosecution deliberately withheld evidence that could have been used in his defense. They argued that as an actor, Baldwin wasn't responsible for gun safety on set and couldn't have known that his gun was loaded with a live bullet. After the case was dismissed, Morrissey claimed the judge had been misled by the defense and maintained the bullets were irrelevant to the case.
Prosecution faced challenges in pursuing case against Baldwin
The New Mexico attorney general's office would have had to take the case to the Court of Appeals. However, the prosecutor's office's reluctance to aggressively advocate for the state's argument led it to concede that its efforts to prosecute Baldwin "have been met with multiple barriers that have compromised its ability to prosecute to the fullest extent of the law." Baldwin's lawyers, Alex Spiro and Luke Nikas, had previously doubted Attorney General Raul Torrez would pursue the appeal.
Baldwin's lawyers hailed the decision to withdraw the appeal
Baldwin's lawyers welcomed the decision to withdraw the appeal. "Today's decision to dismiss the appeal is the final vindication of what Alec Baldwin and his attorneys have said from the beginning—this was an unspeakable tragedy but Alec Baldwin committed no crime," they said. "The rule of law remains intact in New Mexico." However, Hutchins's family, who live in Ukraine, opposed the withdrawal of the appeal before it was officially announced.
Hutchins's family continues civil case against Baldwin
Despite the appeal being withdrawn, Hutchins's family is still pursuing a civil case against Baldwin and the film's producers. Morrissey said she regretted that Baldwin would not be held accountable for Hutchins's death. However, it's worth noting that Morrissey secured a guilty verdict against Hannah Gutierrez Reed—the film armorer responsible for loading a live round into Baldwin's gun. Gutierrez Reed is serving an 18-month prison sentence. Meanwhile, the film Rust debuted last month at the EnergaCamerimage festival in Toruń, Poland.
