Alec Baldwin’s Lawyers Argue There Is No Reason to Reopen ‘Rust’ Manslaughter Case

As a seasoned movie critic with over three decades of witnessing Hollywood’s highs and lows, I can’t help but feel a twinge of deja vu watching this Alec Baldwin case unfold. It seems like we’ve stepped onto the set of a soap opera, where drama and intrigue take center stage, and justice often takes a backseat.


On Friday, Alec Baldwin’s legal team contended that it was unnecessary to reopen the manslaughter case against him, and they asserted that New Mexico authorities should cover their legal fees due to persistent mistreatment during the proceedings.

In addition to Baldwin’s legal team submitting an affidavit, one of the two prosecutors involved in the “Rust” case declared that the other prosecutor, Kari Morrissey, had instructed her to disregard a defense demand for evidence prior to the trial.

As a movie enthusiast, I’d have been looking at potentially spending 18 months behind bars due to an unfortunate incident involving cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of “Rust” in 2021. However, my trial in Santa Fe, New Mexico, took an unexpected turn on July 12, when Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer dismissed the charge. This decision came after it was uncovered that the prosecution neglected to share a stockpile of bullets with my defense team.

On August 30th, Morrissey, the main prosecutor, made a request in a motion for Marlowe Sommer to reevaluate her ruling and restore the charge against the defendant. Morrissey stated that the defense had skillfully misled the judge regarding the bullets, which she contended were irrelevant to the case and did not impact Baldwin’s guilt.

Originally, the judge dismissed the motion because it was overly long (spanning 52 pages). However, Morrissey subsequently resubmitted a more compact 10-page version of the same motion.

On Friday, I, a devoted film enthusiast, shared my thoughts about how Baldwin’s legal team presented their opposition. In this document, they pointed out that Morrissey had been accused of hiding evidence and lying, not just once but multiple times, before, during, and even after the trial.

In court, it was revealed behaviors like dishonest actions and falsifications were in line with Morrissey’s habitual practice of concealing evidence and being untruthful about it since she assumed responsibility for this case, according to their argument.

Additionally, they included an affidavit from Erlinda Johnson, who was one of Morrissey’s lawyers and decided to withdraw from the case just before it was closed. At that point, Morrissey said that Johnson chose to recuse herself because she didn’t wish for a public examination of the bullet proof.

In her sworn statement, Johnson asserted that what was stated previously was untrue. She explained that upon discovering the withheld bullets, she suggested to Morrissey that it would be appropriate for the state to drop the case on its own accord. However, Kari Morrissey did not agree with this proposal.

Johnson said she resigned because she “felt my ethical obligations were for me to withdraw.”

She stated that she didn’t leave the case due to her disinterest in having a public discussion about the discovery problems.

Prior to the court case, Baldwin’s legal team contacted Johnson to ask for documents that were initially provided with extensive redactions. However, as stated in her sworn declaration, Morrissey instructed her to disregard their request.

Instead, Johnson explained that she and her team of researchers scrutinized the documents and eventually handed over numerous thousands of pages of material.

Baldwin’s legal team contends that there is no valid reason to re-examine the case, and they believe that Morrissey’s request should be denied either due to technical errors in the process or because it lacks substance.

Ultimately, the court is proposed to grant Baldwin’s lawyers compensation for dealing with the State’s flawed motion and as a penalty towards Morrissey for persistently misusing the judicial system,” they stated.

If Morrissey’s request for reconsideration is turned down, he might choose to take the judge’s decision to a higher court by filing an appeal.

Hannah Gutierrez Reed, who was the armorer on the set of “Rust”, is currently serving an 18-month prison sentence following a trial in March where she was found guilty of putting a live bullet into Alec Baldwin’s gun. She has claimed that her case should also be dismissed due to similar issues with disclosure. A court hearing regarding this motion will take place on the upcoming Thursday.

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2024-09-21 06:47