When we last checked in on the Alec Baldwin “Rust” film set shooting case in New Mexico, the special prosecutor had just stepped down. Now, the first judicial district attorney herself is off the matter, on Wednesday announcing new special prosecutors in the involuntary manslaughter case against the actor.
How did this all happen?
To recap, the former special prosecutor, Andrea Reeb, stepped down after Baldwin’s team said she couldn’t serve as both a state legislator and a prosecutor. Reeb exited before the matter could fully be litigated. That was on top of the government already dropping the gun enhancement that carried the most potential prison time for Baldwin, after his lawyers pointed out that the enhancement couldn’t be used because it was enacted after the alleged crime.
Along with film armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, Baldwin was charged in January in connection with the 2021 shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. Both defendants are fighting the charges in the case, which has barely begun but has already been questionable on numerous fronts.
Even the appointment of new special prosecutors didn’t happen smoothly. The district attorney, Mary Carmack-Altwies, who said she needed outside help because her office didn’t have enough resources, still wanted to be involved. But that, too, was challenged by the defense, which said the DA couldn’t stay on if there was a special prosecutor.
So the DA’s move to step down is apparently intended to head off yet another potential problem. But will the latest action set the case on the right track for the prosecution, if there is one?
Will the latest action set the case on the right track for the prosecution, if there is one?
Carmack-Altwies surely hopes so. The office’s statement Wednesday said the new special prosecutors, Kari Morrissey and Jason Lewis, have “extensive experience and trial expertise.” Presumably, they at least aren’t also serving as state legislators.
But having prosecutors who are legally able to try the case is only part of the battle. There’s still the case itself, which presents challenges of its own for the government, as I and other legal experts have noted from the very beginning. I don’t claim to know how the case will end, but with these new appointments, hopefully it can at least get started in earnest.
