A US prosecutor has urged a judge to reevaluate her decision to dismiss Alec Baldwin's involuntary manslaughter trial, challenging the court's finding that law enforcement intentionally concealed crucial evidence in the case against the Hollywood actor. In a court motion made public on Wednesday, New Mexico prosecutor Kari Morrissey argued that the ruling to throw out the trial, which involved a fatal shooting on the set of the movie 'Rust,' was flawed. Morrissey asserted that the evidence was not disclosed because it was deemed 'immaterial.' 'There was no cover-up because there was nothing to cover up,' the filing stated, respectfully requesting the court to reconsider its dismissal of the case with prejudice.
Baldwin, a prominent Hollywood figure, was rehearsing with a gun pointed towards cinematographer Halyna Hutchins in October 2021 when the weapon discharged, resulting in her death and injuring the film's director. Prosecutors alleged that Baldwin disregarded basic gun safety protocols and acted recklessly on set. The defense maintained that the actor was not responsible for verifying the contents of the weapon and was unaware that it contained live ammunition. The high-profile trial commenced in July but ended abruptly when Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer determined that significant evidence had been withheld from the defense.
During the trial, it was revealed that live bullets, potentially matching the round used in the fatal shooting, were handed over to law enforcement by former police officer Troy Teske. However, these bullets were not disclosed to Baldwin's legal team, and the evidence was not documented under the 'Rust' case file by crime scene technicians. Judge Sommer concluded that the withholding of evidence was 'intentional and deliberate,' leading to the immediate dismissal of the case against Baldwin, who could have faced 18 months in prison if convicted. Legal analysts suggested that Baldwin was unlikely to face criminal charges again over the incident.
In their latest motion, prosecutors contend that the 'buried' rounds could have been 'purchased at any gun store two and a half years after Ms. Hutchins' death' and were 'immaterial to the case against Mr. Baldwin.' 'Nothing about the details of how the live rounds were introduced to the set is relevant or material to the charges against Mr. Baldwin... it was still Alec Baldwin's responsibility to handle his real prop gun safely,' they wrote. The motion also requests that Baldwin's lawyers be compelled to explain how they became aware of the ammunition provided by Teske, suggesting that 'a record for possible review by a higher court can be created.'
