Canada
This article was added by the user . TheWorldNews is not responsible for the content of the platform.

District Attorney in Alec Baldwin’s involuntary manslaughter case is stepping down

First Judicial District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies will now focus on 'broader public safety needs,' says statement from DA's office

District attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies speaks at a news conference after actor Alec Baldwin accidentally shot and killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the film set of the movie "Rust" in Santa Fe, New Mexico, U.S., October 27, 2021.
District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies, seen here at a news conference in 2021, is stepping down from the case. Photo by Adria Malcolm /Reuters

The Santa Fe District Attorney who charged Alec Baldwin with involuntary manslaughter after the fatal Rust film set shooting has stepped down from the case.

National Post

First Judicial District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies made global headlines when she decided to charge Baldwin, 64, with manslaughter with a sentencing enhancement after a gun went off on the set of the western in New Mexico in October 2021, fatally wounding 42-year-old cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.

Attorneys Kari Morrissey and Jason Lewis have now been appointed to serve as new special prosecutors in the case.

A statement from the Santa Fe District Attorney’s Office said that Carmack-Altwies was being replaced so she can focus on wider “public safety needs.” It said: “Morrissey’s and Lewis’ extensive experience and trial expertise will allow the state to pursue justice for Halyna Hutchins and ensure that in New Mexico everyone is held accountable under the law.”

  1. Sharon Stone attends the New York Women In Film And Television's 43rd Annual Muse Awards on March 28.

    Sharon Stone reveals she was paid just $500,000 for Basic Instinct

  2. Baldwin said he would have quit the film business if it wasn't for the support of his wife Hilaria Baldwin

    Alec Baldwin: ‘I’ve lost five jobs since Rust shooting’

It added: “With the appointment of new special prosecutors, Carmack-Altwies will step aside from personally prosecuting the Rust case, allowing her to focus on the broader public safety needs in New Mexico’s First Judicial District.”

Baldwin’s case has been hit with setbacks including the previous special prosecutor in the case, Andrea Reeb, stepping down after objections to her involvement from the actor’s legal team.

Baldwin’s lawyers argued that Reeb’s involvement was unconstitutional due to her elected position in the New Mexico House of Representatives. They claimed her position was a violation of the state constitution’s separation of powers provision and said there was the potential for her to “make prosecutorial decisions that serve her legislative interests.”

Baldwin is next set to appear in court on May 3 for a two-week preliminary hearing, which is set to decide whether there is enough evidence for the case to go to trial.