Special Prosecutor Kari T. Morrissey gave a glimpse into the Alec Baldwin criminal proceedings, saying his judgment day was coming.
www.latimes.com
Legal experts said they’ve been impressed by the skill and swagger of New Mexico prosecutors, two experienced attorneys from Albuquerque who inherited the case nearly a year ago. A previous set of prosecutors, including the Santa Fe County district attorney, was forced to step down last year from the Gutierrez and Baldwin cases after a series of missteps.
Morrissey, in particular, has shown a willingness to take on Baldwin’s prosecution. She and her legal partner, Jason J. Lewis, successfully outmaneuvered Gutierrez’s defense attorneys, who tried to shift the blame for the tragedy to the film’s production managers and producers, including Baldwin.
On Wednesday, the 12-person jury deliberated only about two hours before returning the guilty verdict against Gutierrez.
“Baldwin’s legal team must view this result with trepidation,” former federal prosecutor John Fishwick said Thursday. “This conviction is big momentum for the prosecution.”
Baldwin has argued, with support from Hollywood’s performers’ union SAG-AFTRA, that it wasn’t his job to be the gun safety officer on set. He said he was relying on other professionals to do their jobs to ensure a safe production. But that argument might not hold much weight in a court of law.
“His defense can’t be, ‘I’m only an actor,’ a special argument that’s unique to him,” University of New Mexico law professor Joshua Kastenberg said. “The question then becomes, why are actors different than ordinary citizens? Well, they’re not.”
