Prosecutors ask judge to reinstate charges against Alec Baldwin for 'Rust' shooting

The prosecutor overseeing Alec Baldwin's involuntary manslaughter case in New Mexico recently asked the judge to reinstate the charges, after she dismissed the case over the summer because prosecutors withheld evidence.

Baldwin, who pleaded not guilty to the involuntary manslaughter charge, allegedly fired a gun on the set of the movie "Rust" in New Mexico that killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins in 2021. Baldwin has maintained that he never pulled the trigger.

Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer ruled in July that prosecutors failed to share evidence with the defense, which included ammunition that was brought into the sheriff's office in March that could be connected to the "Rust" shooting. However, prosecutors have denied that the ammunition was connected.

Special prosecutor Kari Morrissey argued in a court filing unsealed this week that there were "insufficient facts" to support the dismissal, and that Baldwin's due process rights were not violated. 

“Specifically, the State asserts that, while the State may have suppressed the ammunition from Defendant Baldwin, the Defendant was aware of the existence of the ammunition and the specific characteristics of the ammunition prior to trial," Morrissey wrote. 

The prosecutor also claimed that it was not the intention of the prosecution to withhold any evidence from Baldwin, and they had deemed the ammunition irrelevant to the case, per the Associated Press. She also claimed that the defense knew about the ammunition, but had rejected an opportunity to review it.

“This is a smoke screen created by the defense and was intended to sway and confuse the court ... and it was successful,” Morrissey wrote.

Sommer dismissed the case with prejudice, which meant that Baldwin cannot be charged in the case again after all the appeals are exhausted.

Misty Severi is an evening news reporter for Just the News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.