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If Alec Baldwin thought he had put his legal woes from the fatal 2021 shooting of Rust cinematographer Halyna Hutchins behind him, the special prosecutor still in charge of the matter once again wants the indie Western’s star and producer to know it ain’t over — at least not yet.
“The State of New Mexico, by and through Special Prosecutor, Kari T. Morrissey, appeals to the New Mexico Court of Appeals from the Court’s Order Granting Defendant Alec Baldwin’s Expedited Motion for Dismissal and Sanctions …filed on July 31, 2024 and from the Court’s Order Denying State’s Amended Motion to Reconsider Dismissal with Prejudice filed on October 24, 2024, copies of which are attached hereto,” declares a one-page notice from Morrissey filed on November 21 and made public this morning.
While this may be another Hail Mary by Morrissey after repeated rebuffs by Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer since dismissing the involuntary manslaughter case against the 30 Rock star just a few days into his July trial because of evidence suppression, it also once again finds Baldwin under a judicial Sword of Damocles.
Hutchins was killed, and director Souza was injured, on October 21, 2021 after the Colt .45 Baldwin was pointing at the cinematographer fired off a live round during a rehearsal on Rust. In cases and tragic circumstances that had more twists and turns than the Rust script itself, both Baldwin and still incarcerated Rust armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed were charged with involuntary manslaughter.
In Baldwin’s case, he saw the initial 2023 charges dropped under clouds of incompetence from local DA Mary Carmack-Altwies’s office. The case was refiled in early 2024 as Morrissey and her then co-Special Prosecutor took control of the matter
Set to star in a TLC reality series of his own with his wife Hilaria and seven young children, Baldwin has always insisted he did not pull the trigger and the gun discharged on its own, had faced up to 18 months in state prison if found guilty. The FBI, an independent analysis and the man who actually made the gun all disagreed with Baldwin’s assertion.
Now, even as an eventually finished Rust made its debut at Poland’s Camerimage Film Festival last week, Baldwin still faces nearly a dozen civil suits over the Rust shooting and Hutchins’ death.
Oddly, with the appeal notice lodged last week, Baldwin has been talking to press at some length about the case, the trial and the resurrection of the Joel Souza directed film with what can be assumed, the knowledge he may find himself in legal jeopardy once again over what went down over three years ago at the Bonanza Creek Ranch set of Rust.
Potentially compounding that is the not very well disguised mocking of Morrissey that Baldwin and his NYC defense team have engaged in over the distinguished and dogged Albuquerque, New Mexico lawyer before the actor’s trial and over the various legal machinations in the months since it was tossed out by a clearly annoyed Judge Sommer.
Representatives for Baldwin’s team had no comment on this latest appeal effort when contacted by Deadline. If they do have something to say, this post will be updated.
With that, having batted away several attempts by Morrissey to resurrect the case, Baldwin’s Alex Spiro and Luke Nikas-led defense will likely do the same here.
The often-surgical NYC-based attorneys will likely cite Judge Sommer’s past rulings as recently as last month on the shortcomings of renewed deliberations and shutting down refiling moves by the Special Prosecutor. Morrissey, for her part, will need to file more substantial paperwork with the New Mexico Court of Appeal laying out the grounds for said appeal and issues to be both addressed and resolved.
Never less than respectful of Judge Sommer, Morrissey has made it pretty clear the past several months that she thinks the defense played a fast one on the judge with the suppressed evidence claims. Not having proved a winning strategy so far for Morrissey, she may still be trying to make that argument with this new appeal
Still trying to get her own case dismissed or reassessed, Gutierrez-Reed was sentenced to 18 months in a state prison in April after being found guilty in her own jury trial before Judge Sommer.
Over the years since Hutchins’ death, a range of theories from sabotage to stray ammunition coming from her father and seasoned Hollywood gun coach Thell Reed have been suggested by defense lawyers, various prosecutors, district attorneys and more Yet, despite the trials, the investigations and more, there’s never really been a full and solid explanation for how several live rounds got onto the already troubled Rust set nor how one of those rounds got in the gun Baldwin was holding.
