Global Courant 2023-04-21 11:32:08
cost have fallen against Alec Baldwin in the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of his western film “Rest,” after “new facts” came to light in recent days, officials said Thursday.
The announcement came 2 ½ months after New Mexico prosecutors filed involuntary manslaughter charges against Baldwin.
In a statement, special prosecutors assigned by New Mexico First Judicial District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies to handle the case said the new facts were revealed as authorities prepared for a preliminary hearing on May 3.
The statement, from Kari Morrissey and Jason Lewis, doesn’t say what those facts are, but says they require additional investigation and forensic analysis.
“Consequently, we cannot proceed under the current time constraints and on the basis of the facts and evidence handed over by law enforcement in their current form,” the prosecutors said. “We will therefore dismiss the involuntary manslaughter charges against Mr. Baldwin to conduct further investigation.”
Prosecutors added that the decision “does not absolve Mr. Baldwin of criminal guilt”. Charges could be brought again, they said.
The charges against Baldwin’s co-defendant, “Rust” gunsmith Hannah Gutierrez-Reedremain unchanged, prosecutors said.
The Los Angeles Times And Wall Street Journal reported that the new information in the case was that the prop gun used in the fatal shooting had been modified. A source close to the investigation reports this to NBC News.
Baldwin said he didn’t pull the trigger.
Baldwin’s attorneys Luke Nikas and Alex Spiro applauded the decision, saying in a joint statement that they “encourage a proper investigation into the facts and circumstances of this tragic accident.”
Gutierrez-Reed’s attorneys said the special prosecutors handled the entire investigation diligently and thoroughly, which we welcome and have always applauded.”
“They are seeking the truth and so are we,” attorneys Jason Bowles and Todd Bullion said in a statement. “The truth about what happened will come to light and the questions we have long been searching for will be answered. We fully expect Hannah to be acquitted at the end of this trial.”
Alec Baldwin addresses the media in Manchester, Vt., on October 30, 2021.MEGA/GC Images/Getty Images file
Joshua Kastenberg, a law professor at the University of New Mexico, a former attorney and Air Force judge who had questioned the strength of the district attorney’s case, said Thursday he was still surprised by the sudden turn of events. Affairs.
“What probably shocked me the most is that I just feel bad for the family of the deceased woman,” said Kastenberg.
“I’m sure it’s hard for them to deal with” the decision not to prosecute Baldwin, he said. “Nothing would ever bring their child back, so I’m sure there are a lot of frustrations.”
Hutchins, 42, was shot to death on October 21, 2021, during filming at the Bonanza Creek Ranch in New Mexico.
Baldwin was rehearsing with a gun for a scene when the gun went off, killing Hutchins and injuring director Joel Souza.
The case seemed fraught from the start, when Special Counsel Andrea Reeb was forced to resign amid defense claims she had a conflict of interest.
Reeb is also a New Mexico state representative, and her job for the district attorney would mean she’s occupying two separate government jobs that should be separate, Baldwin’s team said.
The prosecutor is “considered a member of the judicial or executive branch of the New Mexico government,” Baldwin’s legal team said in a filing.
And legal analysts said the state would always have a difficult burden of proving that Hutchins’ death was more than a tragic accident.
Filming for “Rust” resumed Thursday at Montana’s Yellowstone Ranch. The movie is expected to take at least another 20 days to shoot, and Baldwin was on set Thursday, sources close to the production said.
The plot of the film revolves around a 13-year-old boy who was left to his own devices after the death of their parents in Kansas in 1880 and for his younger brother.
The youngsters go on the run with their long-estranged grandfather Harland Rust, played by Baldwin, after he is sentenced to hang for accidentally killing a local farmer.
Andrew Blankstein and Hayley Walker contributed.
