A New Mexico judge has upheld her decision to dismiss an involuntary manslaughter charge against Alec Baldwin in the fatal shooting of a cinematographer on the set of a Western movie. State District Court Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer confirmed her ruling Thursday, stating that prosecutors did not present any new factual or legal arguments that would warrant reversing her decision. Baldwin’s lawyers had no immediate reaction to the decision, while special prosecutor Kari Morrissey said she disagrees with the court’s analysis and plans to appeal the ruling.
Morrissey was appointed as the special prosecutor in March 2023 after a previous special prosecutor resigned due to missteps in the initial filing of charges in the case. The involuntary manslaughter charge against Baldwin was dropped midway through the trial following allegations that police and prosecutors withheld evidence from the defense regarding the 2021 death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the film “Rust”. Additionally, revelations that ammunition possibly related to Hutchins’ death was overlooked by investigators created further complications.
The fatal shooting occurred during a rehearsal on the movie set outside Santa Fe in October 2021 when Baldwin was pointing a gun at Hutchins and the revolver discharged, killing Hutchins and injuring director Joel Souza. Baldwin claimed that he pulled back the hammer but did not trigger the gun, leading to an accidental discharge. Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the movie weapons supervisor, was sentenced in April to 1.5 years for involuntary manslaughter in Hutchins’ death. Marlowe Sommer rejected Gutierez-Reed’s request to dismiss her conviction or convene a new trial based on claims of prosecutorial misconduct.
In Gutierrez-Reed’s case, the judge found that her attorneys did not establish a reasonable possibility that the trial outcome would have been different had the evidence been available during the trial. Gutierrez-Reed still has an appeal pending with a higher court. The case involving Baldwin and the fatal shooting of Hutchins has faced numerous setbacks and controversies, including the dismissal of the involuntary manslaughter charge due to withheld evidence and the subsequent disagreement on the ruling from prosecutors. The legal proceedings and appeals continue as all parties involved seek resolution and justice in this tragic incident.
