Why did prosecutors drop charges against Alec Baldwin?
Attorney Mercedes Colwin tells ‘The Story with Martha MacCallum’ that the prosecution should examine the gun that went off when Alec Baldwin allegedly shot a ‘Rust’ crew member to death.
Alec Baldwin may no longer have an involuntary manslaughter charge to his name from the infamous "Rust" movie set incident, but Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the weapons supervisor for the film, certainly does, with prosecutors now saying they believe she was hungover on the day of the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.
The prosecution alleges that Gutierrez-Reed was drinking and smoking marijuana in the evenings during the filming of "Rust," explaining she was likely hungover when she loaded a live bullet into the revolver that the actor used, which would ultimately kill Hutchins and injure screenwriter and director Joel Souza.
Gutierrez-Reed is currently facing involuntary manslaughter charges, which her defense has argued should be dismissed.
The prosecutors accused her of having a history of reckless conduct and argued that it would be in the public interest for her to "finally be held accountable."
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Hannah Gutierrez-Reed's lawyers argued for the charges to be dropped. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong | Instagram)
Gutierrez-Reed's lawyer, Jason Bowles, believes the case has been mishandled.
"The case is so weak that they now have chosen to resort to character assassination claims about Hannah," Bowles shared with The Associated Press on Tuesday. "The prosecution has abandoned the idea of doing justice and getting to the actual truth apparently."
Gutierrez-Reed, 25, will have her preliminary hearing in August, where a judge will determine if there's probable cause for the case to move forward.
Alec Baldwin has been cleared of all criminal charges in the "Rust" case. (Santa Fe County Sheriffs Department)
In their response, the prosecutors also noted that they will most likely come to a resolution in the next 60 days whether to recharge Baldwin, depending on the results of an analysis of the gun and its broken sear. The items were sent to the state’s independent expert for further testing.
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Baldwin's involuntary manslaughter charge was dismissed in April, with prosecutors citing new evidence and the need for more time to investigate.
Alec Baldwin's involuntary manslaughter charge was dismissed in April, with prosecutors citing new evidence and the need for more time to investigate. (Jim Spellman/Getty Images)
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"We are pleased with the decision to dismiss the case against Alec Baldwin and encourage a proper investigation into the facts and circumstances of this tragic incident," his attorneys Luke Nikas and Alex Spiro said in a statement, at the time.
Baldwin returned to work and just wrapped production of "Rust" in a new location, Montana.
Alec Baldwin recently wrapped production on his second crack at "Rust." (Flight Risk for Fox News Digital)
The "30 Rock" star still faces other civil lawsuits, including one from the family of Hutchins, as well as a suit brought by "Rust" script supervisor Mamie Mitchell. Both parties are represented by Gloria Allred.
"Mr. Baldwin should know that we remain committed to fighting and winning for our clients and holding him accountable for pointing a loaded gun at Halyna Hutchins, pulling the trigger and killing her," Allred shared in a statement. "Mr. Baldwin may pretend that he is not responsible for pulling the trigger and ejecting a live bullet which ended Halyna’s life."
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"He can run to Montana and pretend that he is just an actor in a wild west movie but, in real life, he cannot escape from the fact that he had a major role in a tragedy which had real life consequences for Halyna, her mother, father, sister, and co-worker," the statement continued.
Baldwin denies having ever pulled the trigger of the weapon.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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