Alec Baldwin has stated he might sue a state prosecutor and sheriff over their unsuccessful attempt to prosecute him for a fatal shooting on the set of the film “Rust.” A judge dismissed the case against Baldwin after three days, citing testimony that police and prosecutors had withheld potential evidence from the defense.
The incident involved Baldwin holding a gun that discharged on set in New Mexico in 2021, killing cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and injuring director Joel Souza.
Baldwin’s lawyers have sent letters to New Mexico prosecutor Kari Morrissey and Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza to preserve documents for potential future litigation.
This development follows a request from the film’s armourer, Hannah Gutierrez, to dismiss her involuntary manslaughter conviction or order a new trial regarding the fatal shooting.
Gutierrez’s defense argues that, similar to Baldwin’s case, prosecutors failed to share evidence that could have aided her defense. Her lawyer, Jason Bowles, claims that the intentional withholding of crucial evidence by the state compromised the judicial process’s integrity.
Morrissey, the lead prosecutor in both cases, has yet to respond formally but plans to file a written response next week. Gutierrez, who was jailed for 18 months, has an appeal pending in a higher court.
Key evidence in Baldwin’s case involved ammunition brought to the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office in March, over two years after the shooting, by a man claiming it could be related to Hutchins’ death. Investigators dismissed the ammunition as unrelated and unimportant, but Baldwin’s lawyers argued this evidence was buried, leading to the case’s dismissal.
After the ruling, Baldwin was emotional, breaking down in tears and hugging his lawyers. Both Baldwin and Gutierrez faced up to 18 months in prison if convicted. The exact manner in which live rounds ended up on the film set remains undetermined.
