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Actor and director Alec Baldwin is set to star in a Summer blockbuster, but this time it will not be in your local movie theater.
The actor will be appearing in a courtroom as he faces charges of manslaughter in the shooting death of his “Rust” cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.
On Monday a New Mexico judge set the trial date for the actor with jury selection to start on July 9 and the trial beginning the next day with opening statements from prosecutors and defense attorneys, The New York Post reported.
The actor faces possible prison time in the case of the death of the cinematographer who he shot and killed on the set of his movie “Rust,” but now in March he was taking swipes at the special prosecutor in the case.
In a court filing, Baldwin’s attorney said that the special prosecutor, New Mexico state Rep. Andrea Reeb, used her public statements to advance her career and violated Baldwin’s Constitutional rights. The state representative removed herself from the case last week after it was argued that she could not exercise both judicial and legislative power at the same time.
In March ABC News reported: “In a motion filed on Tuesday withdrawing their now-moot Feb. 7 motion to disqualify Reeb, Baldwin’s attorneys outlined a series of concerns they had over-reported private and public statements made by the Santa Fe district attorney’s office and Reeb. The actor faces two counts of involuntary manslaughter in connection with the death of Hutchins. When the district attorney’s office announced last year that Reeb would join the team investigating the October 2021 on-set shooting, Reeb was a candidate for the New Mexico House of Representatives. Baldwin’s motion this week cites a New York Times report published on Tuesday on a private email exchange between Reeb and Santa Fe County district attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies, calling it ‘yet another troubling development’ in the state’s prosecution.”
The Times reported on June 9, 2022, that the representative said in a text message to the district attorney to mention that she is taking part in the case because “it might help in my campaign lol.”
Baldwin’s attorney said in the filing that to “publicize the fact that she was working on the case in order to advance her political career,” and said it was an “abuse of the system” and violated his client’s constitutional rights.
They cited a statement from the district attorney’s office spokesperson in response to the defense’s motion to have Rep. Reeb removed from the case which said that Baldwin and his attorneys “can use whatever tactics they want to distract from the fact that Halyna Hutchins died because of gross negligence and a reckless disregard for safety on the ‘Rust’ film set.”
Reeb announced in a statement on Tuesday that she would be stepping away from the case.
“After much reflection, I have made the difficult decision to step down as special prosecutor in the ‘Rust’ case,” Reeb said in a statement that was released by the office of New Mexico’s First Judicial District Attorney on Tuesday.
“My priority in this case—and in every case I’ve prosecuted in my 25-year career—has been justice for the victim. However, it has become clear that the best way I can ensure justice is served in this case is to step down so that the prosecution can focus on the evidence and the facts, which clearly show a complete disregard for basic safety protocols led to the death of Halyna Hutchins. I will not allow questions about my serving as a legislator and prosecutor to cloud the real issue at hand,” she added.
Hutchins was killed on Oct. 21, 2021, after a gun Baldwin was holding fired.
Just days after being charged with involuntary manslaughter, Baldwin’s attorney filed a motion to have her removed from the case.
