The New Mexico district attorney prosecuting Alec Baldwin for manslaughter has asked a judge for more time to respond to his lawyers’ flurry of motions, as it is revealed that another crew member may testify against the actor.
Prosecutors filed an amended witness list Monday that includes David Halls, who was the assistant director on the deadly Sante Fe film set “Rust.”
Baldwin, 64 — alongside armorer Hannah Gutierrez Reed — was charged earlier this year with two counts of involuntary manslaughter for the 2021 death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.
Halls was also charged in the case but pleaded guilty to negligent use of a deadly weapon as part of a plea agreement.
Alec Baldwin was charged with involuntary manslaughter in the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. (Mark Sagliocco/Getty Images for National Geographic/Mat Hayward/Getty Images for AMC Networks)
Halls is one of 45 witnesses who could be called at a preliminary hearing, which has yet to be scheduled.
Director Joel Souza, who was injured when Baldwin allegedly fired the prop gun that killed the 42-year-old mother of two, is also on the witness list.
Baldwin’s legal team’s most recent motion filed last week asked Judge Mary Marlow Sommer to disqualify the special prosecutor appointed to the case.
The “30 Rock” star’s lawyers argued that it is a conflict of interest for Andrea Reeb to serve as a prosecutor and state legislator.
Alec Baldwin will return to “Rust” production in lead role after criminal charges for cinematographer’s death. (MEGA)
She was brought in to assist in the “Rust” case before she was elected in November to the New Mexico House of Representatives.
New Mexico First Judicial District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies and Chief Deputy District Attorney Jennifer Padgett Macias just started a separate first-degree murder trial and requested a deadline of March 6 to respond to the defense’s motions in their latest filing.
ALEC BALDWIN’S INVOLUNTARY MANSLAUGHTER CHARGES: DA REVEALS WITNESS LIST IN FATAL ‘RUST’ SHOOTING
Carmack-Altwies, Macias and Reed “work as a team” on “every aspect” of the “Rust” case and can’t properly reply until the murder case wraps up Feb. 21, the filing says.
The defense team has argued that allowing Reed to work as a special prosecutor while she holds public office is grossly inappropriate.
This aerial photo shows the Bonanza Creek Ranch in Santa Fe, N.M., Saturday, Oct. 23, 2021. Actor Alec Baldwin fired a prop gun on the set of a Western being filmed at the ranch on Thursday, Oct. 21, killing the cinematographer, officials said. Inset Hanna Gutierrez Reed. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, Instagram)
“Were the arrangement here approved by the courts, future District Attorneys could seek to curry favor with legislators who control their budgets by appointing them to high-profile cases — distorting the legislative process,” Baldwin’s lawyers wrote in their motion.
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The prosecution team also intends to address the defense’s allegation that they made a “basic legal error” when they tacked on five-year gun enhancements that weren’t on the books at the time of the “Rust” shooting.
“That version of the statute could not apply to conduct that occurred before it was enacted,” wrote the defense team, led by attorney Luke Nikas.
Alec Baldwin shown on the “Rust” movie set in a crime scene photo. (Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office)
Baldwin and Reed are slated to make their first appearance on the case Feb. 24 via Google Meet.
If convicted, Baldwin and Reed could face five years in prison due to the firearm-enhancement. If the defense gets the enhancement tossed, the pair face a maximum of 18 months.
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As the criminal case presses forward, “Rust” producers have named a new cinematographer to replace Hutchins, Variety reported.
The production also announced that a documentary will feature Hutchins’ life and work and has the support of her widower, Matthew, according to the entertainment site.
Baldwin has publicly denied responsibility for the fatal shooting.
