Alec Baldwin Prosecutor Asks Judge to Reconsider Manslaughter Case Dismissal

Actor Alec Baldwin, center, reacts as he sits between his attorneys Alex Spiro, left, and Luke Nikas after the judge threw out the involuntary manslaughter case for the 2021 fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins during filming of the Western movie "Rust," Friday, July 12, 2024, in Santa Fe, N.M. (Ramsay de Give/Pool Photo via AP)

Asharq Al Awsat

06:37-5 September 2024 AD ـ 02 Rabi’ Al-Awwal 1446 AH

Asharq Al Awsat

06:37-5 September 2024 AD ـ 02 Rabi’ Al-Awwal 1446 AH

Alec Baldwin Prosecutor Asks Judge to Reconsider Manslaughter Case Dismissal

A US prosecutor has called on a judge to reconsider her dismissal of Alec Baldwin's involuntary manslaughter trial, disputing the court's ruling that law enforcement authorities deliberately withheld key evidence in their case against the Hollywood star.
In a court motion made public Wednesday, New Mexico prosecutor Kari Morrissey said the decision to throw out the trial over a fatal shooting on the movie set of "Rust" was flawed, and that the evidence was held back only because it was "immaterial”, reported AFP.
"There was no cover-up because there was nothing to cover up," said the filing, which "respectfully requests the Court reconsider its dismissal of the case with prejudice."
Hollywood A-lister Baldwin was pointing a gun in the direction of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins during a rehearsal in October 2021 when the weapon fired, killing her and wounding the film's director.
Prosecutors claimed he ignored basic gun safety laws and acted recklessly on set.
The defense said the actor had no responsibility for checking the weapon's contents and did not know it contained live rounds.
The high-profile case went to trial in July, but collapsed in spectacular fashion as judge Mary Marlowe Sommer found important evidence had been withheld from the defense.
Live bullets potentially matching the round used in the fatal shooting had been handed to law enforcement by former police officer Troy Teske, it emerged during trial.
But they were not disclosed to Baldwin's lawyers, and the evidence was not cataloged under the "Rust" case file by crime scene technicians.
Sommer ruled that the withholding of evidence was "intentional and deliberate."
She swiftly dismissed the case against Baldwin, who could have been sentenced to 18 months in prison if found guilty.
Legal experts said Baldwin was highly unlikely to see the inside of a criminal court again over the shooting.
But in their new motion, prosecutors argue that the "buried" rounds could have been "purchased at any gun store two and a half years after Ms Hutchins death" and were "immaterial to the case against Mr. Baldwin."
"Nothing about the details of how the live rounds were introduced to the set is relevant or material to the charges against Mr Baldwin... it was still Alec Baldwin's responsibility to handle his real prop gun safely," they wrote.
The motion also asks for Baldwin's lawyers to be ordered to explain how they learned of the ammunition handed to police by Teske, suggesting that "a record for possible review by a higher court can be created."

Alec Baldwin Talks His Love for ‘Peanuts’ and the ‘Immeasurable’ Effects of His Trial

Alec Baldwin, left, and a person dressed as the character Snoopy from "Peanuts" poses for a portrait to promote the 75th anniversary of "Peanuts" during Comic-Con International on Thursday, July 24, 2025, in San Diego. (AP)

08:38-26 July 2025 AD ـ 01 Safar 1447 AH

Alec Baldwin Talks His Love for ‘Peanuts’ and the ‘Immeasurable’ Effects of His Trial

Alec Baldwin says the year since his trial suddenly ended with a dismissal has been far better than the few years that preceded it, and the effect that time has had on him has been "immeasurable."

"Something as powerful as that happens in your life, you don’t know how much it changes you," he said. "I can’t even tell you how different I am from three-and-a-half years ago. And what I want and what I don’t want, and how I want to live my life and not live my life."

The 67-year-old actor spoke to The Associated Press at San Diego's Comic-Con International, where he was part of a panel on 75 years of Charles Schulz's "Peanuts," whose simplicity, existential philosophy and moral outlook have been very much on his mind.

Baldwin spoke while a suited Snoopy character stood nearby after posing for photos with him.

In a foreword Baldwin wrote for "The Complete Peanuts 1977-1978," he said while reading Schulz's newspaper comic strip every day as a child, he realized Charlie Brown, more than anyone, wanted the things he wanted.

Chief among those wants are "the desire to have friends and the desire to hold your friends close to you."

That hasn’t changed in the years since.

"Come on, what man my age doesn’t relate to Charlie Brown? If Charlie Brown was 67 years old, he’d be me, but he wouldn’t have been stupid enough to have seven (small) children," he said with a laugh.

But he aspires to the qualities of a different character.

"Lucy. I want to be Lucy. Lucy is in charge. She’s got it all figured out," he said. "She pauses for a moment of self-awareness, but not too long."

Baldwin said he admired Schulz's simple line drawings combined with the real circumstances of the characters, embodied by real children's voices when the animated holiday specials emerged in his childhood.

"It’s so complicated and simple at the same time, which is what I think makes it beautiful," he said.

And he admired Schulz's willingness to embrace melancholy, and deeper darknesses, in stories about inner struggle that needed no villains.

"A dog sitting on top of a dog house would have the same impact on you as, like, Nietzsche," he said, looking across the room at Snoopy. "They should have named the dog Nietzsche."

Baldwin's career has had several distinct phases. Early on he played tough husbands and boyfriends in supporting roles including "Married to the Mob" and "Working Girl." He moved on to heroic leading man in "The Hunt for Red October" and "The Shadow."

Downshifting to memorable character parts, he showed his gift for manly speeches in "Glengarry Glen Ross" and "The Departed," and his comedy prowess in seven seasons of "30 Rock" and as a constant host and guest on "Saturday Night Live."

In July 2024 his trial in New Mexico on an involuntary manslaughter charge in the 2021 shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the Western "Rust" fell apart halfway through. A judge dismissed the case on allegations authorities withheld evidence.

"I can’t believe that happened on that day the way it happened," he said. "And it couldn’t have been better for us in certain terms because of the malice and so forth and everything that’s embodied in that whole situation."

The next phase is uncertain. He says he's "just trying to move forward with my wife and my family."

He and wife Hilaria and their seven small kids recently appeared on the TLC reality series "The Baldwins."

He says he has successfully sold his young ones on "Peanuts," especially the Halloween and Christmas specials, as he did with his now nearly 30-year-old daughter Ireland when she was young.

He notices their personalities zig-zagging between the traits of Schulz's characters.

"They’re Charlie Brown, now they’re Snoopy, now they’re Schroeder, now they’re Linus, now they’re Pig-Pen," he said. "They’re Pig-Pen most of the time, I must say."

And their house is full of themed toys.

He keeps a small Snoopy figure among the things in his office, a reminder to try to maintain "love, kindness, patience."

"Peanuts are still kind of like, in that zone," he said. "Let’s just try to be good people."

Alec Baldwin Prosecutor Asks Judge to Reconsider Manslaughter Case Dismissal

Alec Baldwin Prosecutor Asks Judge to Reconsider Manslaughter Case Dismissal

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Alec Baldwin Talks His Love for ‘Peanuts’ and the ‘Immeasurable’ Effects of His Trial

Alec Baldwin Talks His Love for ‘Peanuts’ and the ‘Immeasurable’ Effects of His Trial

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