New Mexico prosecutors have decided not to pursue an appeal of a court's decision to dismiss an involuntary manslaughter charge against Alec Baldwin in the tragic shooting incident on the set of the movie 'Rust.' The Santa Fe district attorney's office announced the withdrawal of the appeal on Monday.
Special Prosecutor Kari Morrissey withdrew the appeal following a July decision to dismiss the charge against Baldwin in the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins during a rehearsal on set outside Santa Fe in October 2021.
The defense attorneys for Alec Baldwin, Luke Nikas and Alex Spiro, expressed that today's decision to dismiss the appeal serves as a final vindication, emphasizing that Baldwin committed no crime in the incident.
The decision to drop the appeal solidifies the ruling made by Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer during the trial, citing allegations of evidence withholding by police and prosecutors as the reason for dismissal.
Baldwin's trial faced disruptions due to revelations about ammunition brought into the sheriff's office, which prosecutors initially deemed unrelated to the case. Baldwin's lawyers successfully argued that the evidence was buried and filed a motion to dismiss.
The district attorney's office highlighted that under state law, the New Mexico attorney general would have pursued the appeal but did not intend to exhaustively do so on behalf of the prosecution.
In a separate development, movie weapons supervisor Hannah Gutierrez-Reed was sentenced to one and a half years in a state penitentiary for involuntary manslaughter in Hutchins' death. Another individual involved, assistant director David Halls, received a sentence of six months of unsupervised probation.
The tragic incident has led to industry-wide scrutiny of safety protocols, particularly concerning the use of firearms and live ammunition on set. Several civil lawsuits have been filed against Baldwin and the producers of 'Rust,' including a complaint by Hutchins' family.
