Alec Baldwin’s “Rust” Involuntary manslaughter case is officially over.
The Santa Fe County District Attorney’s Office announced Monday a press release that special prosecutor Kari Morrissey withdrew the state’s notice of appeal against the actor.
“The appeal would have challenged the court’s dismissal of criminal charges against producer and actor Alec Baldwin, which included involuntary manslaughter in the tragic on-set shooting of camerawoman Halyna Hutchins rust on October 21, 2021,” the press release states.
Alec Baldwin’s “Rust” manslaughter case is officially closed. (Alberto E. Rodriguez)
The move to drop the appeal reinforces Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer’s mid-trial decision to dismiss the case amid allegations that police and prosecutors withheld evidence from the defense.
Baldwin’s attorneys Alex Spiro and Luke Nikas shared a joint statement The Hollywood Reporter.
“This was an unspeakable tragedy, but Alec Baldwin committed no crime.”
“Today’s decision to dismiss the appeal is the final confirmation of what Alec Baldwin and his lawyers have said from the beginning – this was an unspeakable tragedy, but Alec Baldwin committed no crime. The rule of law remains intact in New Mexico,” the statement read.
In July, a judge in Sante Fe dismissed the involuntary manslaughter case against Baldwin fatal shooting of Halyna Hutchins on the set of the film “Rust” after ruling that prosecutors had concealed evidence from his legal team.
Special prosecutor Kari Morrissey dismissed the state’s involuntary manslaughter appeal against Alec Baldwin in the Rust case. (RAMSAY DE GIVE/Pool via REUTERS)
Baldwin cupped his face in his hands and cried as Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer dismissed the case with prejudice, meaning the charges cannot be retried against the actor.
“The state’s intentional withholding of this information was intentional and deliberate,” Sommer said. “If this conduct does not rise to the level of bad faith, it certainly comes so close to bad faith that it shows signs of ardent bias.”
The judge added: “The court has no way of righting this wrong.”
Judge Mary Marlowe dismissed Baldwin’s case with prejudice in July. (Ramsay de Give Pool/Getty Images)
After the judge’s decision, prosecutor Morrissey spoke to the media outside the courthouse.
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“I am disappointed because I believe the significance of the evidence was misjudged by defense counsel, but I must respect the court’s decision,” Morrissey said at the time.
The fourth day of the trial First District Court The trial began with defense attorney Nikas accusing the state of withholding evidence that prop dealer Seth Kenney was the source of the live ammunition.
Aerial photo from Bonanza Creek Ranch in New Mexico shows the church where actor Alec Baldwin fired a prop gun. (Associated Press)
Not long after, Morrissey’s co-counsel, Erlinda Ocampo Johnson, suddenly resigned.
The move prompted the Santa Fe judge to do so Send the jury home So she was able to hold an eleventh-hour hearing, which led to lead prosecutor Kari Morrissey calling herself as a witness.
Morrissey stressed on the witness stand that she never believed the evidence in question, which came from former Arizona police officer Troy Teske, was exculpatory because the ammunition given to law enforcement never left the state of Arizona before the fatal shooting on the Rust ” Sentence.
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“I decided not to take any steps to collect this ammunition because it was in Arizona, had never come to New Mexico and did not match the live cartridges on the set of ‘Rust,'” Morrissey testified.
Halyna Hutchins died from a gun held by Alec Baldwin on the set of Rust in October 2021. (Panic Shea Boyle Ravipudi LLP)
The defense team argued that investigators and prosecutors concealed evidence related to the source of ammunition in the accidental death of camerawoman Halyna Hutchins on the set of the film “Rust” in 2021.
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Gunsmith Hannah Gutierrez Reed was convicted of loading a live cartridge into a revolver that Baldwin fired. Kill Hutchins and wounded director Joel Souza.
Lauryn Overhultz of Fox News Digital and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
