Santa Fe DA, special prosecutor speak on ‘Rust’ investigation

SANTA FE, N.M. — Actor and producer Alec Baldwin hid from cameras Friday as he left his New York City apartment, one day after learning he will face charges for the fatal shooting on the “Rust” movie set outside Santa Fe.

“Everybody is equal under the law, whether you’re a movie star or whether you’re the person next door,” said Andrea Reeb, “Rust” special prosecutor.

That’s the message she hopes to get to the jury, if and when the case against Baldwin goes to trial.

Reeb, and Santa Fe County District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies shared their thoughts on the impacts of Baldwin’s celebrity when they sat down with KOB 4 Thursday.

“We really have to go in and question those jurors to make sure that they’re there in order to listen to the facts and not get star struck, or anti-star struck,” Carmack-Altwies said.

Baldwin is among three people charges for the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on set in October 2021.

Baldwin held the gun that fired the shot that killed Hutchins during a rehearsal for the movie “Rust.” He’s charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter.

Baldwin’s involvement brought huge amounts of attention to the case.

“I’ve really just had to try to ignore it, put to the side, so that I can focus on the facts and the evidence, and focus on the fact that someone died,” Carmack-Altwies said.

The district attorney and special prosecutor are counting on the future jury to look past all the attention, too.

“Sure, there’s going to be this big aspect of him being a movie star,” Reeb said. “But you just have to stick to the facts and you have to explain to the jury, and educate the jury, that no one is above the law and everyone has to be held to the same standard of the law.”