‘Rust’ shooting case: Judge denies Alec Baldwin’s bid to dismiss criminal charge

NEW DELHI: A Mexico judge on Friday rejected Hollywood actor Alec Baldwin‘s request to dismiss involuntary manslaughter charge against him in the alleged involuntary shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins in 2021 on the movie set of Rust, leading to on-spot death. The actor will now face a trial on July 10.
District court judge Mary Marlowe Sommer argued in a court filing that she found no prosecutorial bad faith in the grand jury, no error in jury instructions, and that prosecutors adequately informed jurors about a letter from Baldwin’s legal team listing defense jurors they could call.
The judge rejected defense claims that prosecutors violated grand jury procedure to distract attention away from exculpatory evidence and witnesses.
“New Mexico law does not require a prosecutor to present exculpatory evidence to a grand jury, or require a grand jury to even consider exculpatory evidence after alerted to its existence,” the judge wrote.
Hutchins was shot with a live round after Baldwin pointed a gun at her while she was setting up camera shots on movie set near Santa Fe, New Mexico. The “Glengarry Glen Ross” star claims he did not pull the trigger, which has become essential to the case.
According to Tre Lovell, a business and entertainment trial lawyer, the majority of the differences between prosecution and defense viewpoints are factual disagreements, which juries are expected to decide.
“The real secret is educating a jury about a film set,” Lovell said.
The FBI and an independent firearms specialist hired by the prosecution tested Baldwin’s revolver and discovered that it would not shootuntil the trigger was pulled.
The defense claims the revolver’s hammer and trigger were modified to make it easier to fire, resulting in an unintentional discharge.
(With inputs from agencies)