Prosecutors drop charges against Alec Baldwin in fatal 'Rust' shooting, his lawyers say
- Prosecutors are dropping involuntary manslaughter charges against actor Alec Baldwin.
- Baldwin was charged in the "Rust" movie set shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.
New Mexico prosecutors are dropping involuntary manslaughter charges against Alec Baldwin in connection to the October 2021 "Rust" movie set shooting that resulted in the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins,
Prosecutors have decided to dismiss two counts of involuntary manslaughter against Baldwin, which they had filed in February 2023, Baldwin's attorneys told Insider in a statement on Thursday.
"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." Luke Nikas and Alex Spiro, attorneys for Baldwin, told Insider in a statement on Thursday.
The shooting happened as Baldwin was practicing a cross-draw technique that involved his pointing a Colt .45 revolver at a camera on the Bonanza Creek Ranch set, according to affidavits previously released by the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office.
A bullet from the gun struck Hutchins, a 42-year-old married mother-of-one, mortally wounding her. The movie's director, Joel Souza, was also injured by the bullet.
Prosecutors said that after new evidence came to light, the charges against Baldwin were dropped.
"Over the last few days and in preparation for the May 3, 2023, preliminary hearing, new facts were revealed that demand further investigation and forensic analysis in the case against Alexander 'Alec' Rae Baldwin. III. Consequently, we cannot proceed under the current time constraints and on the facts and evidence turned over by law enforcement in its existing form," New Mexico First Judicial special prosecutors Kari T. Morrissey and Jason J. Lewis said in a statement to Insider.
"We therefore will be dismissing the involuntary manslaughter charges against Mr. Baldwin to conduct further investigation. This decision does not absolve Mr. Baldwin of criminal culpability and charges may be refiled," they added.
An attorney for Baldwin previously told Insider that prosecutors' decision to bring charges against the actor "distorts Halyna Hutchins' tragic death and represents a terrible miscarriage of justice."
Baldwin — who had pleaded not guilty to the charges — scored a legal win in the case in February after prosecutors dropped the gun enhancement charge filed against him in connection to the shooting on the Santa Fe film set.
In a motion, Baldwin's defense team had argued that prosecutors made an "unconstitutional and elementary legal error" with the application of the gun enhancement because the statue did not exist at the time of the shooting.
Additionally, Andrea Reeb, a former district attorney and Republican lawmaker, resigned as a special prosecutor in the case in March following complaints from Baldwin's lawyers that her appointment was "unconstitutional."
New Mexico First Judicial District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies later appointed longtime New Mexico attorneys Morrissey and Lewis to serve as special prosecutors in the case.
The armorer on the "Rust" movie set, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, was hit with the same charges as Baldwin was over the shooting. The firearm enhancement was also dropped for her. The prosecutors added on Thursday that the standing charges against Hannah Gutierrez-Reed "remain unchanged."
"The new special prosecutor team has taken a very diligent and thorough approach to the entire investigation, which we welcome and have always welcomed," Gutierrez-Reed's lawyers Jason Bowles and Todd Bullion told Insider in a statement on Thursday.
The attorneys added, "They are seeking the truth and we are also. The truth about what happened will come out and the questions that we have long sought answers for will be answered. We fully expect at the end of this process that Hannah will also be exonerated."