The New Mexico district attorney who has been overseeing the Rust shooting criminal prosecutions of Alec Baldwin and Hannah Gutierrez Reed has stepped down from the case in yet another twist in this story.
On Wednesday, March 29, Mary Carmack-Altwies announced that she has handed the prosecution over to two fellow New Mexico attorneys, Kari Morrissey and Jason Lewis. The two will now become special prosecutors in the legal case, according to Carmack-Altwies' office.
In a statement (found in the L.A. Times) from Carmack-Altwies said, “My responsibility to the people of the First Judicial District is greater than any one case, which is why I have chosen to appoint a special prosecutor in the ‘Rust' case.”
She continued, “Kari Morrissey and Jason Lewis will unflinchingly pursue justice in the death of Halyna Hutchins on behalf of the people of First Judicial District.”
This is not the first case of a prosecutor resigning from this specific case. Andrea Reeb resigned just a few weeks ago due to the controversy of her dual roles as prosecutor and a New Mexico Legislature member.
The ongoing legal saga began when Baldwin accidentally shot cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of an upcoming film, Rust, on October 21, 2021. The film was in production near Sante Fe, New Mexico — in Bonanza City, New Mexico, to be exact — when it occurred and the case has been ongoing. On January 31 of this year, Baldwin and Gutierrez Reed were criminally charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter. On February 23, Baldwin and Gutierrez Reed pled not guilty.
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