In this image from video released by the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office, Alec Baldwin stands in costume and speaks with investigators following a fatal shooting last year on a movie set in Santa Fe, N.M. on Friday, Nov. 11, 2022
Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office
Lawyers for Alec Baldwin said Thursday that prosecutors in New Mexico have decided to drop charges against the movie star in the case of a fatal shooting on the set of the movie “Rust.”
“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,” said attorneys Luke Nikas and Alex Spiro.
Baldwin, who is also a producer on the film, was charged with two counts of manslaughter in the death of “Rust” cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. The actor was holding the gun that fired the fatal bullet about a year and a half ago. The film is set to resume filming this week in Montana.
The case’s prosecutors didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. It wasn’t immediately clear whether the manslaughter case against the film’s original armorer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, was still active. Her lawyers didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
Baldwin and Gutierrez-Reed have pleaded not guilty. The case was set to go to trial in early May.
To date, only David Halls, the “Rust” assistant director who handled the gun that killed Hutchins, has been held criminally accountable for the cinematographer’s death.
After pleading no contest to a misdemeanor charge of negligent use of a deadly weapon, Halls was sentenced to six months of unsupervised probation, a $500 fine and 24 hours of community service.
Halls’ hearing was the first to be conducted under the supervision of special prosecutors Kari Morrissey and Jason Lewis.
“Rust” proceedings have been hampered by procedural complications, particularly concerning the appointment of the case’s previous special prosecutor.
The first special prosecutor for the case, Andrea Reeb, stepped down in early March, following a request for her removal that was filed by Baldwin’s defense lawyers.
Baldwin’s lawyers took issue with Reeb’s allegedly dueling commitments: Reeb was named special prosecutor before being elected to New Mexico’s legislature, which Baldwin’s lawyers argued defied the state’s constitution.
In March, Mary Carmack-Altwies, the New Mexico district attorney previously overseeing the “Rust” case, was given a directive from Judge Marlowe Sommer to either recuse herself from the case, or lose her ability to appoint a new special prosecutor.
Carmack-Altwies recused herself soon after. In her place, she appointed Morrissey and Lewis as special prosecutors.
This is breaking news. Please check back for updates.
