The criminal case against Alec Baldwin for the 2021 fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of “Rust” ended Monday, as Special Prosecutor Kari Morrissey dropped her appeal of the case’s dismissal.
Baldwin’s lawyers, Luke Nikas and Alex Spiro, called the decision “the final vindication” of Baldwin, maintaining the incident was a tragedy, not a crime. A New Mexico judge had dismissed involuntary manslaughter charges against Baldwin in July, ruling that evidence about the live round’s source had been concealed.
The district attorney’s office disagreed with the dismissal but cited the state attorney general’s lack of commitment to pursue the appeal as a reason to abandon the case.
Hutchins was killed near Santa Fe when Baldwin, preparing for a camera shot, pointed a gun that fired a live round. The film’s armorer, Hannah Gutierrez, was convicted of involuntary manslaughter and sentenced in 2023. Baldwin denied pulling the trigger, stating he followed directions. However, FBI and firearms experts found the gun required trigger depression to fire.
This marked the first Hollywood on-set fatality involving a live round since the silent film era, historian Alan Rode noted. Previous tragedies, like Brandon Lee’s 1993 death during “The Crow,” involved civil settlements rather than criminal cases.
The decision closes a controversial chapter in Hollywood safety protocols and legal accountability on film sets.
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