Prosecutor speaks after Alec Baldwin, ‘Rust’ production reaches settlement: ‘No one is above the law’

A New Mexico prosecutor spoke out on Wednesday after Alec Baldwin and the producers of Rust announced a settlement with Halyna Hutchins’ family.

What about the settlement?

After Hutchins was killed on the set of Rust last October, the Hutchins family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Baldwin and other key members of the Rust production.

The exact details of the settlement were not disclosed. But as part of the deal, Hutchins’ widower Matthew Hutchins will perform “Rust” when production resumes in January 2023.

Hutchins said in a statement:

We have reached a settlement, subject to court approval, in our wrongful death case against the producers of Rust, including Alec Baldwin and Rust Movie Productions, LLC. As part of that settlement, our case is dismissed. Filming of Rust, which I will now execute, will resume in January 2023 with all of the original leads on board.

What did the prosecutor say?

District Attorney for New Mexico’s First Circuit, Mary Carmack-Altwies, made it clear that the settlement will not prevent her from completing her criminal investigation.

“The proposed settlement announced today in the wrongful death case of Matthew Hutchins against Rust film producers, including Alec Baldwin, in the death of Halyna Hutchins will have no impact on District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altweis’ ongoing investigation or her final decision whether to file a criminal complaint about the allegations in the case,” a spokesman for the DA said in an opinion.

“While civil lawsuits are settled privately and often involve financial rewards, criminal lawsuits deal only with facts. If the facts and evidence warrant criminal charges under New Mexico law, charges will be filed,” the statement continued.

“No one is above the law,” the statement said.

One more thing?

Last month the Santa Fe New Mexican reported that Carmack-Altwies could prepare criminal charges against Baldwin after requesting more money from the state to help her office pursue up to four criminal cases in the matter.

“One of the possible defendants is well-known film actor Alec Baldwin,” according to documents filed by prosecutors.

Beyond that, however, the prosecutor’s office doesn’t say much. But her office told the New Mexican that Carmack-Altwies “certainly reviews all homicide statutes and all gun statutes under the New Mexico Penal Code.”

Meanwhile, Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza confirmed last month that his agency is continuing the investigation into Hutchins’ death and will forward the file to the district attorney’s office once the investigation is complete.