Baldwin had ‘no control’ of emotions on Rust set
New Mexico prosecutors accused Alec Baldwin of contributing to making the set of Western film Rust unsafe by having “no control” over his emotions before he shot a cinematographer — and alleged that attempts by the actor and his legal team to get the state’s case against him dismissed were deceptive and manipulative.
Prosecutors said Baldwin, 66, has dodged responsibility since a prop gun discharged in his hand during an informal rehearsal on Oct. 21, 2021, killing Halyna Hutchins and injuring director Joel Souza.
The accusations, laid out by special prosecutors Kari Morrissey and Jason Lewis in a filing made public on Monday, suggest the prosecution intends to vigorously go after Baldwin, who was indicted by a grand jury in January on a charge of involuntary manslaughter. Baldwin’s trial is scheduled for July in Santa Fe, and he has pleaded not guilty.
Morrissey and Lewis accused Baldwin’s lawyers of making “false or misleading” statements in pushing to get the indictment dismissed.
The prosecutors had previously dismissed involuntary manslaughter charges against Baldwin last year “to conduct further investigation,” but had warned charges could be refiled. In the most recent filing, they cast their decision to temporarily drop the charges as a show of good faith as their investigation continued.
On Monday, Morrissey wrote that she and Lewis have experienced “contrived and unwarranted personal attacks” from Baldwin, as well as “near countless lies and manipulation” from the actor’s legal team “for more than one year.”
Attorneys representing Baldwin did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday, but have previously called the charges against him “misguided,” and argued that Baldwin was not at fault because he was told the gun was not loaded with live bullets.
In their most recent filing, prosecutors, citing witness testimony, painted a picture in which Baldwin’s alleged “relentless rushing of the crew” and erratic behaviour on set helped turn it into an unsafe environment where people cut corners with devastating consequences.
The actor “was frequently screaming and cursing at himself, at crew members or at no one and not for any particular reason,” Morrissey alleged.