Alec Baldwin requests judge to dismiss charges in 'Rust' shooting case, Internet says 'not gonna happen'

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Alec Baldwin's attorneys requested on Thursday, March 14, that the manslaughter charges against him be dropped due to alleged prosecution misconduct.

Baldwin has pleaded not guilty to the involuntary manslaughter charge in the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins in 2021 while filming the Western 'Rust'. 

In recent court filings, obtained by TMZ, the 65-year-old actor and his lawyer Alex Spiro request that his lawsuit be dismissed.

Alec Baldwin claims Grand Jury 'rigged' in 'Rust' manslaughter charge

Baldwin and his lawyer Spiro contend that the Santa Fe County District Attorney's office 'rigged' the grand jury process by adding seven biased witnesses.

According to the lawsuit, two of the witnesses were from the Santa Fe Sheriff's Office, one was suing Baldwin in a separate civil case, and three of the witnesses were employed by the DA.

Additionally, there are allegations that the DA withheld evidence from the FBI's testing of the handgun used in Hutchins' tragic scene.

According to the records, testing revealed that, when fully loaded, the revolver did discharge without the trigger being pulled—exactly as it did on the day of the tragedy.

Agent Bryce Ziegler testified during Hannah Gutierrez-Reed's trial earlier in 2024 that he had to smash the gun with a hammer in order to force it to fire without pulling the trigger.

'Rust's armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, 26, was convicted of involuntary manslaughter during the filming of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.

In his prosecution appearance, Ziegler stated that the gun was in operational order when it came to him, therefore that incident could not have occurred on the 'Rust' set. His analysis refutes Baldwin's assertions that he merely removed the pistol's antique-looking hammer.

The decision portends poorly for Baldwin, who will face an involuntary manslaughter trial in the same courtroom in July. He could serve 18 months behind bars if found guilty.

A trial in New Mexico is scheduled for July 10, per Reuters.

In April 2023, Baldwin's initial charges of involuntary manslaughter were withdrawn. He entered a not-guilty plea after being dramatically accused again last month.

The shooting took place in October 2021 following two weeks of filming during which Baldwin practiced pulling his revolver from its holster.

He shot Hutchins, 42, and the bullet passed through her and ended up in director Joel Souza's shoulder. Souza survived to testify in court, per Daily Mail.

Internet erupts over Alec Baldwin's request for case dismissal

Social media users took to X (formerly Twitter) to lambast Baldwin for requesting to be let off the hook in the 'Rust' manslaughter case, with one saying, "That is obviously not gonna happen. They are just delaying tactics by the laywers."

Another user echoed a similar enrage and said, "Bro aimed a gun at her and fired. Prop or not she ended up dying."

"Really? In what ground?" questioned one user.

Another noted, "Alec Baldwin will do anything to escape the clutches of a guilty verdict because he’s scared of doing some real time behind bars!"

"Alec is scared! He deserves a very long time behind bars!" exclaimed a user.

Another one mocked, "First, he was on SNL imitating Trump. Now, he's become Trump. Rigged? You spelled Trigger Man wrong."

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.