Alec Baldwin’s attorneys requested a decide to dismiss the involuntary manslaughter indictment in opposition to him on Thursday, accusing prosecutors of misconduct and claiming the actor had been dragged “through the cesspool created by their improprieties.”
Baldwin’s legal professionals laid out their claims in a 52-page submitting, alleging prosecutors violated “nearly every rule in the book” earlier than he was indicted by a grand jury in January. The submitting claims prosecutors withheld “substantial exculpatory and favorable evidence,” and didn’t name sufficient witnesses who have been on set of the movie “Rust” when the capturing occurred.
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“Enough is enough,” the submitting reads. “This is an abuse of the system, and an abuse of an innocent person whose rights have been trampled to the extreme.”
The New York Times notes that in New Mexico, defendants aren’t allowed to name their very own witnesses when a case is offered to a grand jury, however can submit a doc to prosecutors that features proof that may assist their shopper. The submitting Thursday notes that Baldwin’s staff proposed a number of individuals who have been on set in the course of the capturing, together with the movie’s director and assistant director. Baldwin’s attorneys claimed testimony from the lads might have helped grand jurors higher perceive security procedures surrounding weapons on movie units.
But prosecutors referred to as only one witness Baldwin’s staff proposed, the lead detective on the case.
“The State had one goal ― indict Baldwin, no matter the truth, no matter the rules or the Court rulings, and no matter what it took to do so,” the submitting reads.
John Lamparski by way of Getty Images
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The actor was indicted in January over the 2021 capturing of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the western movie in New Mexico. Baldwin was pointing a gun at Hutchins throughout a rehearsal when the firearm went off, killing her and injuring the movie’s director, Joel Souza.
The actor has maintained he didn’t pull the set off and has denied any duty for Hutchins’ dying, saying there have been others on set who have been in command of gun security. But prosecutors have accused him of “total disregard or indifference for the safety of others.” A grand jury indicted him on a cost of involuntary manslaughter, which carries a sentence of as much as 18 months in jail. He is ready to go to trial in July and has pleaded not responsible.
Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the armorer on the movie, was discovered responsible of involuntary manslaughter final week. She shall be sentenced at a listening to subsequent month and faces as much as 18 months in jail.
Even if the decide does dismiss the case, prosecutors might convey the case to a distinct grand jury. An preliminary manslaughter cost in opposition to Baldwin was dismissed in early 2023 earlier than prosecutors introduced the newest case in opposition to him.