Legal representatives for Alec Baldwin have requested the dismissal of the manslaughter charge against him in connection with the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of “Rust.” They have accused special prosecutors for the New Mexico District Attorney of “misusing the system.”
Baldwin faces a charge of involuntary manslaughter for allegedly aiming a gun at Hutchins during a scene rehearsal. The gun, which had live ammunition without Baldwin's knowledge, went off, resulting in the fatal shooting of Hutchins and the injury of director Joel Souza. Baldwin has been accused of pulling the trigger, a claim he denies.
In the The motion was filed on Thursday, and in it, Baldwin’s lawyers criticized special prosecutor Kari Morrissey for failing to inform the grand jury that indicted the actor and producer about the availability of witnesses who would have testified that it was not his responsibility to inspect the gun he was holding. These witnesses include Souza and “Rust” assistant director Dave Halls.
The lawyers argue that while these witnesses were not called to testify before the grand jury, Morrissey heavily relied on testimony from the state’s expert witness Bryan Carpenter, who stated that Baldwin was accountable for handling the firearms.
Baldwin’s legal team also accused the prosecutors of revealing information about the grand jury proceedings to the press against the judge’s orders and providing inaccurate jury instructions on the involuntary manslaughter charge.
“The State had one goal — indict Baldwin, no matter the truth, no matter the rules or the Court rulings, and no matter what it took to do so,” Baldwin’s lawyers wrote. “This is an abuse of the system, and an abuse of an innocent person whose rights have been trampled to the extreme.”
The request for dismissal comes after “Rust” armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter. She will be sentenced next month and faces up to 18 months in federal prison. Baldwin’s trial is set to begin on July 9.
TheWrap has reached out to the New Mexico DA’s office for comment.
