IT’S OVER

Alec Baldwin’s ‘Rust’ Manslaughter Case Ends as Prosecutor Abandons Appeal

The actor has spent years fighting charges over the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.

An attempt to reinstate involuntary manslaughter charges against actor Alec Baldwin over the deadly shooting on the set of the movie Rust was withdrawn Monday, authorities in New Mexico said. First Judicial District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies disclosed that special prosecutor Kari Morrissey ended the state’s appeal of a lower court decision to dismiss the charges against Baldwin, who was holding a prop gun on the set in October 2021 when it discharged, killing cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and wounding director Joel Souza. The movie’s armorer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, was convicted of involuntary manslaughter for Hutchins’ death. Baldwin pleaded not guilty in the case, stating he did not pull the trigger of the gun. Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer dismissed the case in July, ruling that prosecutors and police withheld evidence that could have helped determine the source of the live round that killed Hutchins. Carmack-Altwies said the district attorney’s office “supports the Hutchins’ family and their continued fight for justice in civil court.” During a podcast appearance with fellow actor David Duchovny last week, Baldwin accused media outlets of wanting him “to die” because of the charges and said he intends to “expose what really happened” that led to the fatal shooting on the Rust set.