The special prosecutor handling the case against actor Alec Baldwin in the fatal 2021 shooting of the cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the film Rust has announced she is stepping down, as Baldwin's lawyers had sought.
The decision by special prosecutor Andrea Reeb came a month after Baldwin's attorney filed a motion to remove her because she is also a representative in the state legislature of New Mexico.
The Baldwin legal team argued that it violated the state constitution for a legislator to serve in another branch of government.
On 23 February, Baldwin entered a not-guilty plea to a charge of involuntary manslaughter.
Two others have been charged. Armourer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed will plead not guilty to involuntary manslaughter, her lawyer has said.
Assistant Director Dave Hall has pleaded not guilty to a misdemeanour weapons charge.
Mary Carmack-Altwies, New Mexico's First Judicial District Attorney, did not immediately say who would replace Reeb and declined comment except to say paperwork on Reeb's removal had been filed with the court.
Baldwin's lawyer, Luke Nikas, referred through a spokesperson to his motion to disqualify Reeb under the New Mexico constitution's separation-of-powers provision.
The prosecution initially charged Baldwin and Gutierrez-Reed with a firearm enhancement that was later dropped, reducing their possible prison sentence from a minimum of five years to a maximum of 18 months.
Source: Reuters
