Alec Baldwin had 'absolutely no control' of his emotions on Rust set, prosecutors say

9 April 2024, 11:05 | Updated: 9 April 2024, 13:26

Footage of Alec Baldwin on the set of Rust shows he had "absolutely no control of his own emotions" and "no concern for how his conduct" affected those around him, prosecutors have said in new court documents.

The Hollywood actor and film producer is to go on trial in July, charged with involuntary manslaughter over the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the Western film's set in New Mexico in October 2021.

Ms Hutchins died after a Colt. 45 revolver Baldwin was rehearsing with fired a live round that also wounded director Joel Souza.

Hannah Gutierrez, the weapons supervisor on set, was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in March following a separate trial and faces up to 18 months in prison. She is due to be sentenced on Monday.

In a new 32-page court filing in the case against Baldwin, responding to a motion made by his legal team to drop the charges, special prosecutors Kari T Morrissey and Jason J Lewis say the motion to dismiss is "a predictably false, misleading and histrionic misrepresentation of the facts and circumstances".

As well as starring in the film, Baldwin is also a producer. He has denied any wrongdoing.

The prosecutors say footage from the film's set, combined with interviews with crew members, shows that "Mr Baldwin was in charge".

He seemingly missed "what most everyone else noticed", they say - that Gutierrez was "inexperienced and overwhelmed" and "not up to the job".

Baldwin showed a "complete lack of concern for the safety of those around him", they add.

"To watch Mr Baldwin's conduct on the set of Rust is to witness a man who has absolutely no control of his own emotions and absolutely no concern for how his conduct affects those around him," the court filing says. "Witnesses have testified that it was this exact conduct that contributed to safety compromises on set."

Read more:
What weapons supervisor's conviction means for Baldwin
Rust director describes moment he was shot

They also say Baldwin has changed his story, saying: "Every time Mr Baldwin spoke, a different version of events emerged from his mouth, and his later statements contradicted his previous statements."

In their motion to dismiss the case, Baldwin's lawyers argued that "enough is enough", and said: "This is an abuse of the system, and an abuse of an innocent person whose rights have been trampled to the extreme."

(c) Sky News 2024: Alec Baldwin had 'absolutely no control' of his emotions on Rust set, prosecutors say