Alec Baldwin judge denies actor's motion to dismiss involuntary manslaughter charge
'Rust' star Alec Baldwin filed 3 separate motions to dismiss his involuntary manslaughter charge ahead of his trial
By Lauryn Overhultz , Brie Stimson Fox News
Published May 24, 2024 6:48pm EDT
The judge in Alec Baldwin's "Rust" involuntary manslaughter case ruled to deny his motion to dismiss the indictment on Friday.
The judge rejected both of Baldwin's dismissal arguments regarding the grand jury process, concluding it wasn't prejudiced against him, court documents obtained by Fox News Digital showed.
The defense had argued that prosecutors flouted the rules of grand jury proceedings to divert attention away from exculpatory evidence and witnesses, which prosecutors have denied, calling him "shameless" and pointing out contradictory statements he made.
Baldwin was indicted on two counts — involuntary manslaughter, negligent use of a firearm, or, in the alternative, involuntary manslaughter without due caution or circumspection — on Jan. 19. Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins died Oct. 21, 2021 after a gun Baldwin was holding discharged on the Western film set.
The actor skipped out on the May 17 hearing after waiving all of his pre-trial appearances.
His legal team appeared virtually, where they claimed the prosecution did not follow the rules during the grand jury process. Alex Spiro, the lead lawyer on Baldwin's team, specifically focused on accusations that the prosecution did not alert the witnesses ahead of the grand jury.
"The way this is supposed to work is the grand jury's in a week, there’s all these witnesses that could come, you hit them with a subpoena, they come to the grand jury, or you have them on stand by, and you talk to them," Spiro said during the May 17 hearing. "This isn’t how you’re supposed to do it period."
The witnesses "never" saw "an alert letter," according to the lawyer.
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