Alec Baldwin “Rust” case prosecutor who quit claims she wanted to be dismissed

The reason for the special prosecutor’s resignation from the manslaughter case against Alec Baldwin on Friday was her belief that the state ought to have voluntarily dropped it.
Later that day, Baldwin’s case was dismissed by Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer “with prejudice,” which means the actor cannot have the allegations against him reopened.

In 2021, while holding a handgun meant to be used as a prop, cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was accidentally shot and murdered on a set in New Mexico for the film “Rust.” Baldwin, 66, was charged with involuntary homicide. After being found guilty in March of involuntary manslaughter in the incident, “Rust” armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed received an 18-month jail term.
The prosecution’s case seemed to be in jeopardy on Friday when special prosecutor Erlinda Ocampo Johnson discovered that several bullets had not been given over to the defense. Ocampo Johnson made this accusation during her opening statement against Baldwin.
Ocampo Johnson told NBC News on Friday night, “It was evident that it was something that should have been turned over.”
Baldwin’s attorneys said that Ocampo Johnson should have resigned on Friday and left the courtroom before the hearing on the evidentiary dispute could conclude.
In court, Kari Morrissey, a colleague special prosecutor, said that Ocampo Johnson’s resignation was partly due to her disagreement with the decision to have a public hearing. However, Ocampo Johnson maintained that she didn’t believe a hearing was necessary at all.
Ocampo Johnson said, “I thought that dismissal would have been the right course of action.”
Ocampo Johnson said, “I wouldn’t say push-back; it was ‘go forward with the case,’” when asked whether there was opposition to that proposal.
After it became known that Troy Teske, a former police officer and friend of Gutierrez-Reed’s stepfather, had sent Colt.45-caliber bullets to the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office on March 6 (the day of Gutierrez-Reed’s conviction), Baldwin’s counsel urged the court to dismiss the case.
According to defense lawyers, they ought to have been informed about the rounds.
Morrissey said that neither the ammunition in question nor its connection to the case was concealed from Baldwin’s attorneys.
“There’s no reason to think that the evidence we talked about in court today was connected to the ‘Rust’ set,” Morrissey said after the case’s dismissal. Despite her disagreement with the judge’s ruling, she expressed respect for it.
Requests for more information on the matter on Friday were met with silence from Morrissey right away.
Days before Hutchins was murdered, footage indicated the handgun “was not handled the way it should have been,” and Ocampo Johnson said that she supported Baldwin’s criminal case and was ready to provide evidence.
Ocampo Johnson said Baldwin ought to have been aware of industry standards, which prohibit aiming weapons at people and advise treating them as if they are loaded.
“I had faith in the case,” she said. “I think there was a woman who was killed, obviously.” On the set, there was some careless conduct.
However, she said that defense lawyers, not prosecutors, should determine whether or not evidence is pertinent to a case.
Ocampo Johnson said that she doesn’t think any information was purposefully omitted.
It wasn’t deliberate, in my opinion. “I truly don’t think that,” she said. “I believe that it was simply an instance of something not being turned over when it ought to have been.”
“We will be moving for her immediate release,” said Jason Bowles, Gutierrez-Reed’s attorney, after the dismissal of the Baldwin case.
Ocampo Johnson was not a part of the prosecution, thus she was unable to comment on how Baldwin’s case may influence Gutierrez-defense Reed’s lawyers’ actions. However, in general, she doubted that the contested ammunition would be useful in overturning her conviction.
Ocampo Johnson said, “It certainly should have been turned over in this case, but I don’t think it should impact her case.”

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