New Mexico prosecutors dropped their appeal Restoration of charge Against Alec Baldwin Fatal shooting on the set of his movie “Rust”.
Special prosecutor Kari Morrissey withdrew the state’s appeal, originally filed in November, on Monday, according to a statement from the First Judicial District Attorney’s Office.
“The petition will challenge the court’s dismissal of criminal charges against producer and actor, Alec Baldwin, which included involuntary manslaughter on the set of the tragic shooting of cinematographer, Halina Hutchins. the rust October 21, 2021,” the statement said.
“The FJDA commends Morrissey for his work in prosecuting two cases of such magnitude and national attention, including Successful prosecution of Hannah Gutierrez Reid,” the district attorney’s office said. “The FJDA supports Hutchins’ family and their continued fight for justice in civil court.”
“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 is committed. The rule of law in New Mexico does not stand still,” attorneys Luke Nikas and Alex Spiro, who represent Baldwin, told CBS News in a statement. .”
The decision to drop the appeal solidifies Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer’s decision halfway through the trial Dismiss the case Allegations that police and prosecutors withheld evidence from the defense.
Baldwin’s trial was prompted by revelations that ammunition was brought to the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office in March by a man who said it could be related to Hutchins’ murder. Prosecutors said they found the ammunition unrelated and unimportant, while Baldwin’s lawyers say investigators “buried” evidence in a separate case file and filed a successful motion to dismiss.
The district attorney’s office said the New Mexico attorney general would have pursued the appeal but “the prosecution did not intend to pursue the appeal fully.”
“As a result, the state’s efforts to pursue a fair and comprehensive case have encountered multiple obstacles that have compromised its ability to prosecute to the full extent of the law,” the statement from local prosecutors said.
The shooting took place during a rehearsal on the set of the western film “Rust”, in which Baldwin also acted as a star and producer. Baldwin was holding a prop gun that was loaded with a live round when it discharged, killing Hutchen and wounding director Joel Souza. Baldwin maintains he never pulled the gun’s trigger and did not know it was loaded with a live round, which is prohibited by both industry and union guidelines.
The gunman, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, who was accused of loading the gun, pleaded guilty in March to involuntary manslaughter. Baldwin appealed his conviction after charges were dismissed, but a judge upheld it in September.
Prosecutors also accused Gutierrez-Reid of bringing live rounds to the set, but defense lawyers argued that the film’s ammunition supplier was not properly investigated. Gutierrez-Reid maintained that he did not know how the gun was loaded with live rounds. He was acquitted of tampering with evidence at his trial.
David Halls, the film’s safety coordinator, pleaded no contest last year to negligent use of a firearm. He completed six months of unsupervised parole.
