Prosecutor speaks out after Alec Baldwin, 'Rust' production reach settlement: 'No one is above the law'

A New Mexico prosecutor spoke out Wednesday after Alec Baldwin and 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, 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 executive-produce "Rust" when production resumes in January 2023.

Hutchins said in a statement:

We have reached a settlement, subject to court approval, for our wrongful death case against the producers of "Rust," including Alec Baldwin and Rust Movie Productions, LLC. As part of that settlement, our case will be dismissed The filming of "Rust," which I will now executive-produce, will resume with all the original principal players on board in January 2023.

What did the prosecutor say?

New Mexico First Judicial District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies made clear the settlement will not deter her from completing her criminal investigation.

"The proposed settlement announced today in Matthew Hutchins’ wrongful death case against Rust movie producers, including Alec Baldwin, in the death of Halyna Hutchins will have no impact on District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altweis' ongoing investigation or her ultimate decision whether to file criminal charges in the case," a spokesperson for the DA said in a statement.

"While civil suits are settled privately and often involve financial awards, criminal cases deal only in facts. If the facts and evidence warrant criminal charges under New Mexico law then charges will be brought," the statement continued.

"No one is above the law," the statement declared.

Anything else?

Last month, the Santa Fe New Mexican reported that Carmack-Altwies could be preparing criminal charges against Baldwin after she requested more money from the state to help her office prosecute up to four criminal cases in the matter.

"One of the possible defendants is well known movie actor Alec Baldwin," documents filed by the DA said.

The prosecutor, however, is not saying much beyond that. But her office did tell the New Mexican that Carmack-Altwies is "certainly looking at all the homicide statutes and any gun statutes under New Mexico criminal code."

Meanwhile, Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza confirmed last month that his agency is continuing to investigate Hutchins' death and will turn over the case file to the prosecutor's office once the investigation is complete.