Alec Baldwin's lawyers accuse 'Rust' prosecutors of 'abuse of power' in new court filing
American actor Alec Baldwin’s lawyers accused prosecutors of "abuse of power" in new court documents, as part of their attempt to dismiss the involuntary manslaughter cases he’s facing.
PEOPLE Magazine reported that Baldwin’s lawyers last March filed a motion to dismiss the case involving the accidental on-set shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins in 2021 during the filming of Rust, where he's a star and producer. He’s headed to trial in July.
His lawyers called some of the prosecutors’ arguments “appalling,” while claiming that special prosecutor Kari Morrissey gave “prejudicial” instructions to a grand jury, which ultimately indicted Baldwin.
They also claimed that for Morrissey, prosecuting Baldwin has never been about the law but, in her words, using the justice system to “humble” an “arrogant” celebrity she dislikes.
Baldwin’s lawyers also accused the prosecutors of “stunning abuse of prosecutorial power” for rescinding a plea deal they offered him last year.
Months before his indictment, he was offered to plead to a misdemeanor, which included six months of unsupervised probation, a $500 (P28,700) fine, 24 hours of community service, and a firearms safety class.
But before he could accept it, prosecutors rescinded their offer, partly because they said they learned that Baldwin was working on a documentary about Hutchins. He was supposedly seeking to interview material witnesses. (His lawyers denied he was making the documentary.)
In response to Baldwin’s lawyers, Morrissey and her fellow special prosecutor Jason Lewis called the allegations “patently false.” They also claimed the actor was “frequently screaming and cursing” on set and called him “a man who has absolutely no control of his own emotions and absolutely no concern for how his conduct affects those around him.”
Baldwin was holding a prop gun when it discharged, killing Hutchins and injuring director Joel Souza. He insisted that he didn’t pull the trigger and knew the gun accidentally had live ammunition.
Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the armorer in charge of overseeing the weapons on set, was convicted of involuntary manslaughter last March and was sentenced to 18 months in prison.
Dave Halls, the safety coordinator and assistant director who handed Baldwin the loaded gun, agreed to a plea deal with prosecutors and was sentenced to six months probation.
Baldwin pleaded not guilty to manslaughter charges. He faces two alternative counts of involuntary manslaughter: one involving "negligent use of a firearm" and another involving acting "without due caution or circumspection."
It will be up to the jury to decide whether to convict him on one or the other, or neither (but not both).
The charges relate to the action and not to the oversight of the movie. This means he is being held culpable as an actor, not as a producer.
Filming of Rust was halted by the tragedy but resumed last year. Souza also returned as director.
