KYIV. March 30. UNN. The New Mexico district attorney who charged actor Alec Baldwin with the murder of “Rust” cameraman Galina Hutchins announced Wednesday, March 29, that he will resign from the prosecutor’s office in the case, writes UNN with reference to Reuters.
Details
First Judicial District Attorney Mary Carmack-Oltwis said she is handing over the prosecution of the case to New Mexico attorneys Cara Morrissey and Jason Lewis. Just five weeks before the preliminary hearing, lawyers from Albuquerque will take over the case as special prosecutors.
Carmack-Oltwiss is the second prosecutor to leave the legal team in the case. The previous special prosecutor, Andrea Reeb, a Republican state representative, resigned on March 15 after Baldwin’s lawyers argued that it was “illegal to serve as a member of the judiciary and the state legislature at the same time.”
Reuters recalls that this month, lawyers for gunsmith Hannah Gutierrez-Reid filed a motion to bar Carmack-Oltwis from co-defendant in the case, arguing that she could not appoint a new special prosecutor and continue to prosecute herself. District Court Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer agreed and gave the district attorney until Friday to make a decision.
“Carmack-Oltwiss will step away from prosecuting the Rust case personally, allowing her to focus on the broader public safety needs of the First Judicial District of New Mexico,” said district attorney spokeswoman Heather Brewer.
At a hearing beginning May 3, a judge must decide whether there is probable cause to charge Gutierrez-Reid and Baldwin with criminal charges, which requires prosecutors to prove the couple showed willful disregard for Hutchins’ safety. Both were charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter, the most serious of which was dropped after Baldwin’s lawyers discovered that the law that bolstered it was passed after Hutchins was shot.
Baldwin pleaded not guilty, and Gutierrez-Reid is expected to do the same.
Addition
In October 2021, American actor Alec Baldwin accidentally shot a 42-year-old cameraman of Ukrainian origin, Galina Hutchins, during the filming of the film “Rust” in New Mexico, USA, as a result of which she died. Also, the director of the film, Joel Souz, was injured during the incident.
Dave Halls, first assistant director of Rust, was the only member of the cast and crew to plead guilty. On Friday at 4:00 p.m. ET, Sommer will consider a plea deal he struck with prosecutors on a charge of negligent use of a deadly weapon.
We will remind
In February 2023, actor Alec Baldwin and gun props consultant Hannah Gutierrez-Reid were formally charged with the involuntary manslaughter of cinematographer Galina Hutchins on the set of the 2021 film Rust.