Special prosecutors for the “Rust” criminal trial in New Mexico are expected to drop involuntary manslaughter charges against Alec Baldwin, though the charges could be brought up again in the future.
“We are pleased with the decision to dismiss the case against Alec Baldwin and we encourage a proper investigation into the facts and circumstances of this tragic accident,” a lawyer for the film’s star and producer said.
According to multiple media reports, the motion expected to be filed by recently appointed special prosecutors Kari Morrisey and Jason Lewis will request for the charges against Baldwin to be dropped “without prejudice,” meaning that prosecutors could pursue the charges again in the future. Baldwin was facing a prison sentence of up to 18 months if convicted.
This would allow Morrisey, Lewis, and the Santa Fe District Attorney’s office to investigate further into the death of “Rust” cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, who was killed when a gun being held by Baldwin during a scene rehearsal discharged and fired a live bullet that also injured director Joel Souza.
Baldwin insisted in an interview on ABC that he did not pull the trigger when the gun discharged, though a forensics analysis on the gun conducted by the FBI determined that the gun could not have fired without a trigger pull.
For now, prosecutors are still moving forward on involuntary manslaughter charges against “Rust” armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed. A two-week pretrial session was set to begin on May 3, though it may be postponed given this new motion.
Such a delay would be another twist in a criminal case that has been filled with them. The recent hiring of Morrisey and Lewis by Santa Fe DA Mary Carmack-Altwies came after a judge ruled that the DA’s office must either appoint special prosecutors or try the case themselves, but could not do both.
Morrisey and Lewis replace previous special prosecutor Andrea Reeb, who stepped down after Baldwin’s attorneys questioned whether she was eligible to serve on the trial as she was serving in the New Mexico state legislature. Reeb’s handling of the case was also criticized as she charged Baldwin with a firearm enhancement that could have raised the prison sentence to five years, though it was dropped as the enhancement was added to the state’s penal code after Hutchins was killed.
More to come…
