‘Alec Baldwin Could Be Criminally Charged In Deadly ‘Rust’ Shooting: Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, killed’ Alec Baldwin could soon face criminal charges for allegedly firing the round that killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of “Rust” as the Santa Fe Sheriff’s Office prepares to release its final investigative report on the shooting, documents obtained by The Post show.
Alec Baldwin Could Be Criminally Charged In Deadly ‘Rust’ Shooting: Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, killed
Santa Fe District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies filed an emergency request for $635,500 from New Mexico’s Board of Finance so her office would have the funds necessary to prosecute up to four people in connection with the incident, a copy of the request states.
She didn’t disclose who those four people are but noted in the request that “one of the possible defendants is well known movie actor Alec Baldwin” and the prosecution could require up to four separate jury trials, the document states.
“While rehearsing a scenario for the movie “Rust,” Alec Baldwin shot and murdered Halyna Hutchins and injured Joel Souza. The gun that finally killed Hutchins and injured Souza had been handled by numerous people, Carmack-Altwies wrote in the request.
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“My office has been awaiting the FBI’s review of the evidence since October of [2021]. The investigation’s findings have now been delivered to my office. Only a few things need to be completed but are due any day.
Carmack-Altwies stated in the request that Santa Fe prosecutors decided “defendants from ‘RUST’ would need to be prosecuted promptly'” after obtaining the majority of the material, which prompted the office to proceed with the grant application.
“I am ready to start the decision of what individuals will be criminally charged in this case,” she wrote.
Baldwin has repeatedly denied firing the gun, which had been in his hands during a rehearsal last October, and said it went off accidentally. But a recent FBI forensic report concluded the firearm couldn’t have gone off unless someone pulled the trigger.
Carmack-Altwies said in the Santa Fe New Mexican that her office’s attorneys are “definitely looking at all the homicide crimes and any firearms statutes under New Mexico penal code” when asked what particular charges might be brought.
Carmack-Altwies claimed in the request that the financing is required since the office’s budget is insufficient to prosecute such a high-profile case while also taking care of other matters that are already in court.
The cash would be used to contract an “additional, more qualified” attorney with 26 years of experience as a prosecutor who could “devote her full time and attention to this matter.”
The office would also need to tap a special investigator, paralegal, media spokesperson, and numerous experts on firearms, firearm handling on movie sets, and safety protocols on movie sets, the document states.
If the funding is denied, “the entire community will be affected,” Carmack-Altwies argued.
“Money will need to be diverted from less visible cases in order to support the prosecution of the ‘RUST’ case. This could make it possible to plead out serious and repeat offenders rather than having jury trials in order to save money, she wrote.
“This will return dangerous criminals to the streets and compromise everyone’s safety in the neighborhood.”
The state finance board ultimately awarded the office $317,000 — about half of what it had sought, KOB 4 reported.
The office will request a special appropriation for the rest of the money, Carmack-Altwies told the Santa Fe New Mexican.
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