Alec Baldwin had 'no control of his own emotions' on 'Rust' set, prosecutors say
The special prosecutors in Alec Baldwin's New Mexico shooting case, in which he faces one charge of involuntary manslaughter, are alleging Baldwin was negligent on set and changed his story to cast blame on others after "Rust" cinematographer Halyna Hutchins died when the gun Baldwin was holding accidentally went off.
Three weeks after Baldwin's lawyers urged the judge to dismiss the grand jury's indictment filed Jan. 19, on Friday state prosecutors Kari Morrissey and Jason Lewis filed the state's response to the defense's motion and slammed Baldwin's team for sharing "predictably false (and) misleading" facts and engaging in "countless lies and manipulation."
In their 316-page filing, prosecutors paint Baldwin as a demanding actor and producer of the project who flaunted safety precautions, did not heed directions from his director and changed his story about what happened during the shooting.
"Every time Mr. Baldwin spoke, a different version of events emerged from his mouth and his later statements contradicted his previous statements," prosecutors wrote.
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They also said Baldwin's defense team is working "to ensure that the case is not heard on its merits, and if it is heard on its merits, to discredit the prosecution, investigation, and witnesses in the media so that a conviction becomes unlikely for reasons that have nothing to do with Mr. Baldwin's criminal culpability."
USA TODAY has reached out to Baldwin's lawyers for comment.
In January, Baldwin pleaded not guilty to the involuntary manslaughter charge. The trial is scheduled to take place July 10-19.
More:Alec Baldwin pleads not guilty to involuntary manslaughter in 'Rust' shooting case
New Mexico prosecutors allege Alec Baldwin was to blame for safety compromises on set
In their filing, Morrissey and Lewis claimed "Mr. Baldwin was in charge" as the lead actor and producer on the project, and "in addition to rushing the cast and crew, Mr. Baldwin was frequently screaming and cursing at himself, at crew members or at no one and not for any particular reason."
They wrote, "To watch Mr. Baldwin's conduct on the set of Rust is to witness a man who has absolutely no control of his own emotions and absolutely no concern for how his conduct effects those around him. Witnesses have testified that it was this exact conduct that contributed to safety compromises on set."
A combination of 24-year-old armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed's "negligence and inexperience" and Baldwin's "complete lack of concern for the safety of those around him" on set contributed to the death of 42-year-old Hutchins, according to prosecutors.
Prosecutors alleged Baldwin "cocked the hammer of the gun and pulled the trigger when a scene was not being filmed and cameras were not rolling" and took aim at Hutchins with a .45 caliber single-action army revolver that he didn't realize was loaded with a live round.
"At the time, a scene was being prepared during which Mr. Baldwin was expected to slowly pull his gun from his holster – that's all. Mr. Baldwin decided to go off-script and take actions contrary to what the director, Joel Souza, instructed him to do," the filing reads. "To the frustration of Mr. Souza, Mr. Baldwin did this frequently, he ignored direction from Mr. Souza and without warning, acted on his own volition.
More:'Rust' armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed found guilty of involuntary manslaughter
"Unbeknownst to Mr. Baldwin, Ms. Gutierrez inadvertently loaded a live round into the gun and Ms. Hutchins and Mr. Souza were shot. Ms. Hutchins died the same day."
Last month, a jury found Gutierrez-Reed guilty of involuntary manslaughter.
Prosecutors: Alec Baldwin 'lied with impunity' in interviews about what happened during 'Rust' shooting
Morrissey and Lewis pointed out alleged inconsistencies in Baldwin's story in their filing.
During an initial interview with detectives on Oct. 21, 2021, Baldwin stated "numerous times" that Gutierrez-Reed "handed him the gun before the incident and (first assistant director David Halls) never handed him the gun."
He also claimed, per prosecutors, that Souza, who was wounded when the bullet went through Hutchins' body and entered his shoulder, "was telling him where to point the gun during the rehearsal, not Ms. Hutchins." The bullet entered through her armpit because she was turned to speak with another member of the crew, he alleged in the interview.
However, while speaking with George Stephanopoulos in an ABC special that aired December 2021, Baldwin "changed his story and stated repeatedly that it was Ms. Hutchins who was telling him where to point the gun and to point the gun at her."
Prosecutors added, "In his shameless attempt to escape culpability for his own negligence and recklessness he went so far as to say that he pointed the gun at Ms. Hutchins' armpit because that was where she told him to point it."
Baldwin "lied with impunity and blamed the incident on Ms. Hutchins" in this interview, prosecutors said.
He also told Stephanopoulos that Halls handed him the gun, saying it was a "cold gun" that did not contain live rounds.
Speaking with a representative of New Mexico's Occupation Health & Safety Bureau on Dec. 8, 2021, Baldwin said Halls, not Gutierrez-Reed, handed him the gun and Hutchins had instructed him on where to point and cock the gun.
During this interview, "Baldwin stated that he pulled the hammer of the gun back but was not going to cock the gun." However, prosecutors note, "anyone who has ever shot a single action revolver understands that pulling the hammer back is precisely the action that cocks the gun, thus making Mr. Baldwin's assertion contradictory and absurd."
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