The heat around Alec Baldwin is rising. Prosecutors are trying to paint the picture that the actor is to blame for the devastating death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of Rust.
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They described Baldwin as displaying "erratic and aggressive behavior during the filming of 'Rust' that created potential safety concerns." Prosecutors also said the actor asked to have the "biggest gun available" prior to filming "Rust" in 2021.Special prosecutors Kari T. Morrisey and Erlinda O. Johnson present evidence to New Mexico courts. They claimed he "displayed reckless behavior" when it comes to a firearm.
Baldwin's team refused to accept alleged misconduct lying down. They accused the prosecutors of prosecutorial misconduct. They motioned the court. According to the legal team, prosecutors disclosed "thousands of files" over a 10-week period, and also withheld documents that they believe warrant an order of "dismissing the indictment with prejudice."
Previously, the judge dismissed the motion to dismiss the trial. Prosecutors claim Baldwin "discharged the revolver after the filming was over and 'cut' was called." They also claim the actor "shot several scenes wherein he placed his finger on the trigger of the revolver where the scene did not require any shooting of the firearm." Finally, they claim Balwin rushed armorer Hannah Reed to "reload and crew members to work at a faster pace."
Prosecutors paint a picture of an actor who "engaged in horseplay with the revolver while making videos during his firearms training while using pull load blanks." They said he didn't pay attention to proper firearms training. The trial comes on the heels of Reed's, which found the armorer guilty.
Alec Baldwin's Team Strikes Back
Prosecutors said that Baldwin "displayed reckless behavior as it related to the use of a firearm, such as pointing it and firing a blank round at a crew member while using that crew member as a line of site as his perceived target." They said they may use photos of Baldwin with the weapon just minutes before the deadly shooting.
"He appears to have his finger inside the trigger guard and his thumb on the hammer," documents stated. "Upon information and belief, Ms. Gutierrez was not present to supervise his handling of the gun."
According to Baldwin's team, prosecutors have been withholding information from them.
"The state's approach — hide the ball at all costs — continues nearly three years later," documents stated. "In the past 10 weeks alone, the state has disclosed thousands of files, including over 150,000 pages of documents and dozens of gigabytes worth of data."
They added, "Many of them contain critical evidence that is favorable to Baldwin's defense that fundamentally reshapes the way Baldwin would have prepared for trial such as emails from one of the state's experts that contradicted his grand jury testimony and the state's theory about the firearm."
