Alec Baldwin’s ‘Rust’ Manslaughter Case Will Not Be Reopened, New Mexico Judge Rules

A New Mexico judge has dismissed the motion to reopen Alec Baldwin’s “Rust” manslaughter case. This time, Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer determined that state prosecutors lack “factual or legal arguments that would justify” the act, in addition to them not filing the motion in a timely manner.

“The State filed its Amended Motion on Sept. 5, 2024, concerning the Court’s Sanctions,” read the legal document, submitted on Thursday and obtained by TheWrap. “However, the State’s permissible time period for initiating an appeal ended on Aug. 30, 2024. Thus, because the State’s Amended Motion was filed outside the time limit for the State to initiate its appeal, the Amended Motion is untimely. Therefore, the Court does not find the Amended Motion well taken due to its untimeliness.”

Additionally, First Judicial Circuit Court Judge Sommer wrote, “The Court concludes that the State does not raise any factual or legal arguments that would justify the grant of a motion to reconsider.”

In response, per The Los Angeles Times, Special Prosecutor Kari T. Morrissey said, “The State disagrees with the Court’s analysis and intends to appeal the ruling.”

As TheWrap previously reported, Morrissey argued that there was insufficient evidence to support the July dismissal and that Baldwin’s due process had not been violated throughout the trial. However, her initial filing was denied due to exceeding the allotted page length.

The controversial case over the 2021 shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was dismissed halfway through by Sommer on the basis of withholding of evidence by police and prosecutors from the defense. The manslaughter charge was dismissed with prejudice, meaning the case cannot be refiled.

This is just the latest update in Baldwin’s legal saga. “Rust” armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed attempt at a new trial was similarly denied, ruling that withheld evidence would not have changed her guilty verdict for manslaughter. Despite the controversy surrounding the film, it’s set to make its world premiere in November at the EnergaCamerimage international cinematography film festival in Toruń, Poland.