The Santa Fe District Attorney's Office announced Monday that it has dropped actor Alec Baldwin's gun enhancement charge from the fatal on-set shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins in October 2021. The same charge has been dropped from armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed.
"In order to avoid further litigious distractions by Mr. Baldwin and his attorneys, the District Attorney and the special prosecutor have removed the firearm enhancement to the involuntary manslaughter charges," Santa Fe District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies said in a statement. "The prosecution's priority is securing justice, not securing billable hours for big-city attorneys."
Baldwin's legal team argued the five-year charge did not apply at the time of the shooting. The incident occurred October 2021, but the "gun enhancement" law did not take effect until May 2022.
"The prosecutors committed a basic legal error by charging Mr. Baldwin under a version of the firearm-enhancement statute that did not exist on the date of the accident," Baldwin's team wrote.
The defense also filed a motion one week prior to disqualify the District Attorney's appointed special prosecutor Andrea Reeb due to an alleged conflict of interest by way of Reeb also being an elected member of the New Mexico House of Representatives.
"Another day, another motion from Alec Baldwin and his attorneys in an attempt to distract from the gross negligence and complete disregard for safety on the 'Rust' film set that led to Halyna Hutchins' death," a spokesperson for the New Mexico First Judicial District Attorney, said.
"In accordance with good legal practice, the District Attorney and the special prosecutor will review all motions -- even those given to the media before being served to the DA. However, the DA's and the special prosecutor's focus will always remain on ensuring that justice is served and that everyone -- even celebrities with fancy attorneys -- is held accountable under the law."
