‘Rust’ Prosecutor Withdraws Appeal of Alec Baldwin Case

The legal proceedings against Alec Baldwin over the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins in 2021 came to an end on Monday when the special prosecutor withdrew her appeal of the judge’s decision to dismiss the involuntary manslaughter charge during the actor’s trial.https://wordpress.com/

Kari T. Morrissey, the prosecutor, announced in a statement that she was abandoning the case because the New Mexico Attorney General’s Office, which handles criminal appeals, had decided not to “fully pursue” the appeal.

The statement went on to explain that the state’s efforts to continue prosecuting the case in a fair and thorough manner had been obstructed by numerous challenges, which undermined its ability to pursue the case to its fullest extent.

In response, Baldwin’s attorneys, Luke Nikas and Alex Spiro, issued a statement calling the decision the “final vindication” of their client’s position. They emphasized that, while the incident was a terrible tragedy, Baldwin had committed no crime.

The case, which was being heard in Santa Fe, New Mexico, took a dramatic turn on the third day of Baldwin’s trial in July. Baldwin’s defense team argued that the prosecution had failed to disclose certain key evidence, specifically ammunition that had been delivered to the sheriff’s office months before the trial.

Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer of the First Judicial District ruled that the state had “intentionally and deliberately” withheld this evidence, which amounted to prosecutorial misconduct. As a result, she dismissed the charges and ruled that the case could not be retried.

Despite the judge’s ruling, Morrissey filed an appeal, acknowledging that the ammunition had not been provided to the defense but arguing that it was not central to Baldwin’s defense and questioning how much his legal team had known about it before the trial.

However, in Monday’s statement, Morrissey said she could not continue with the appeal without the full support of the Attorney General’s Office. Mary Carmack-Altwies, the district attorney who had appointed Morrissey as the special prosecutor, also expressed support for the decision to withdraw the appeal.

The shooting occurred on October 21, 2021, while Baldwin was filming the western Rust at a movie ranch near Santa Fe. The gun Baldwin was holding, which was meant to be a prop, discharged, killing Hutchins and injuring the director.

Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the film’s armorer who loaded the gun that day, was convicted of involuntary manslaughter and sentenced to 18 months in prison. She has appealed the conviction.