'Rust' star Alec Baldwin's legal team slammed for 'countless lies,' 'manipulation' as actor battles indictment
A grand jury indicted Alec Baldwin on involuntary manslaughter in connection to the fatal 'Rust' shooting
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Prosecutors called out Alec Baldwin's legal team for lying and manipulation after the actor requested the court dismiss his indictment.
Baldwin, who was indicted for involuntary manslaughter in January, was charged in connection to the fatal shooting on the set of "Rust" in 2021.
"The defendant's motion to dismiss is predictably false, misleading, and histrionic misrepresentation of the facts and circumstances of the history of the case," the prosecution's filing, obtained by Fox News Digital, said. "The two special prosecutors who have been assigned the prosecution of Mr. Baldwin have experienced near countless lies and manipulation from the defense 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."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The 316-page motion mirrored Baldwin's lengthy request to dismiss and focused on giving a "factual and procedural history" of the case.
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State prosecutors called out Alec Baldwin's legal team for lying and manipulation in a new court filing. (Fox News)
The "30 Rock" star's legal team argued the prosecution acted unethically and failed to present crucial evidence to a grand jury in a motion to dismiss the indictment, obtained by Fox News Digital.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Enough is enough," the court documents stated. "This is an abuse of the system, and an abuse of an innocent person whose rights have been trampled to the extreme."
Baldwin was indicted on two counts — involuntary manslaughter, negligent use of a firearm, or, in the alternative, involuntary manslaughter without due caution or circumspection — on Jan. 19. Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins died Oct. 21, 2021 after a gun Baldwin was holding fired on the set of "Rust."
Alec Baldwin talks on the phone at the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Department. (Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office)
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Baldwin will head to court in July for his trial.
Jury selection will begin July 9, according to New Mexico Courts. The trial is expected to last until July 19.
The actor had previously been charged with involuntary manslaughter on Jan. 31, 2023. However, special prosecutors Kari Morrissey and Jason Lewis dropped the charges in April after coming across "new facts" that required additional review.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}After investigating further, prosecutors convened a grand jury.
Alec Baldwin shown sitting in the church where Halyna Hutchins was killed in outtakes from the "Rust" production. (Courtesy: New Mexico Courts)
Baldwin has maintained that he did not pull the trigger of the gun that led to Halyna Hutchins' death. At the time, he had been rehearsing a scene featuring a cross-draw that Hutchins wanted to possibly add to the script.
"The trigger wasn’t pulled. I didn’t pull the trigger," Baldwin told George Stephanopoulos in an interview shortly after the fatal shooting.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"No, no, no, no, I would never point a gun at anyone and pull the trigger. Never."
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Hannah Gutierrez Reed attended the court hearing where a judge denied her request for a new trial. (Courtesy: New Mexico Courts)
"Rust" armorer Hannah Gutierrez Reed was convicted of involuntary manslaughter on March 6. Her legal team requested a new trial and an immediate release from prison, but a judge declined the request.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Keep in mind, there was a death that the jury determined was caused by her. So, I'm not releasing her," Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer stated during a March 29 hearing.
Gutierrez Reed will receive her official sentence on April 15.
Hannah Gutierrez Reed holds a gun on the set of "Rust." (Courtesy: New Mexico Courts)