The world was stunned last Friday when a judge dismissed Hollywood star Alec Baldwin’s involuntary manslaughter case regarding the fatal 2021 shooting on the set of his movie Rust.
Now, Baldwin is firing back, as he’s planning to file a lawsuit against the prosecutor and the sheriff.
Baldwin Planning Lawsuit
Baldwin is reportedly planning to sue a New Mexico state prosecutor and sheriff after it was revealed that they withheld evidence from his defense team. Prosecutor Kari Morrissey and Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza previously did this as they tried to prosecute him for the death of the cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.
The evidence in question was given to the sheriff’s office back in March by a man who thought it might be relevant to the case. Investigators, however, disagreed and did not think the evidence was relevant enough to hand over to Baldwin’s defense lawyers.
Judge Mary Marlowe Somer blasted investigators as she dismissed the case on Friday. The dismissal came without prejudice, meaning that Baldwin can’t be charged again.
“The state’s wilful withholding of this information was intentional and deliberate,” the judge said from the bench. “There is no way for the court to right this wrong.”
Baldin ‘Didn’t Celebrate’ Case Dismissal
Baldwin, 66, burst into tears as the judge dismissed the case.
“There are too many people who have supported me to thank just now,” Baldwin wrote on Instagram the next day. “To all of you, you will never know how much I appreciate your kindness toward my family.”
A source later told People Magazine that Baldwin and his wife Hilaria are “relieved that it’s over.”
“It’s been a sad situation, and there is no winning here. They didn’t celebrate,” the insider added. “They were very worried and are grateful now that they are able to spend the rest of the summer with their kids.”
Related: Here’s Why Alec Baldwin’s ‘Rust’ Trial Really Went Off The Rails
Baldwin Takes Action
On Monday, Baldwin’s attorneys sent letters to Morrissey and Sheriff Mendoza requesting that they preserve documents for future litigation. The Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that it received the letter, while Morissey’s office declined to comment.
Hutchins was killed and director Joel Souza was injured in October of 2021 when a gun Baldwin was holding on the Rust set went off during rehearsals. The film’s armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed was later convicted of involuntary manslaughter in March, and she is currently serving an 18 month prison sentence. Had Baldwin been convicted, he would have been facing that same sentence.
On Tuesday, Gutierrez-Reed filed a motion to dismiss her charges in response to the prosecutors’ failures to disclose evidence. Indeed, her lawyers alleged that prosecutors failed to disclose evidence on the live rounds, testing of Baldwin’s gun by firearms expert Lucien Haag and an interview with Rust’s props supplier Seth Kenney.
‘Devastating’ For Gutierrez-Reed
Gutierrez-Reed has since told Variety that the impact this has all had on his client has been “devastating.”
“She now sits in state prison serving an 18-month sentence based on what we now know was a proceeding that was rendered unfair and unconstitutional by the State’s conduct,” he said. “This Court should not countenance the State’s deplorable behavior.”
This case has captivated the nation for years now. Even though Baldwin’s case was dismissed, it’s clear that this is far from over.
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