Hollywood star Alec Baldwin was indicted in January in relation to the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. Photo / AP
Hollywood star Alec Baldwin was indicted in January in relation to the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. Photo / AP
Prosecutors have argued Alec Baldwin had “no control of his emotions” on the Rust set.
The 66-year-old actor was indicted in January in relation to the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, who was fatally shot on the set of the movie in October 2021, and in a publicfiling released on Monday, it was claimed the Oscar-winning star had been “inattentive” during firearms training and could be heard “frequently screaming and cursing” during production before the incident.
New Mexico state prosecutors Kari T. Morrissey and Jason J. Lewis wrote: “To watch Mr Baldwin’s conduct on the set of Rust is to witness a man who has absolutely no control of his own emotions and absolutely no concern for how his conduct affects those around him.
“Witnesses have testified that it was this exact conduct that contributed to safety compromises on set.”
The document was filed in response to a motion from Baldwin’s team last month to have the involuntary manslaughter charges against him thrown out, but the prosecutors accused the defence of presenting a “predictably false, misleading, and histrionic misrepresentation of the facts and circumstances of the history of the case”.
They added: “The two special prosecutors who have been assigned the prosecution of Mr Baldwin have experienced near countless lies and manipulation from the defence for more than one year.
“In addition, we have, and certainly will continue to be, the subject of the defendant’s contrived and unwarranted personal attacks.
“The primary goal of Mr Baldwin and his counsel ... is to ensure that the case is not heard on its merits, and if it is heard on its merits, to discredit the prosecution, investigation, and witnesses in the media so that a conviction becomes unlikely for reasons that have nothing to do with Mr Baldwin’s criminal culpability.”
