Who are Erlinda Johnson and Kasi Morrissey? All about the prosecutors as Alec Baldwin's Rust shooting trial gets underway

Actor Alec Baldwin is set to face a criminal manslaughter trial this week, in continuation of a case that began 19 months ago. This happened after the actor was initially charged with the death of Halyna Hutchins, the cinematographer of the movie Rust.

On Wednesday, July 10, in Santa Fe, New Mexico, Baldwin's trial began. In addition, the trial is scheduled to end on July 19 after eight days.

Attorneys Erlinda Johnson and Kasi Morrissey were chosen to represent the defense. Erlinda Ocampo Johnson, known for her expertise in criminal defense and personal injury law, has successfully defended numerous clients facing federal and state charges. Kari Morrissey serves as the principal attorney prosecuting Alec Baldwin and Rust armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed.

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Kasi Morrissey and Erlinda Johnson are the prosecutors in Alec Baldwin trial

Alec Baldwin in court during his trial (Image via Getty)

Erlinda Ocampo Johnson, currently the special prosecutor in the Alec Baldwin case, graduated from the University of New Mexico School of Law in 1995. She began her legal career as an Assistant District Attorney in Albuquerque, prosecuting various crimes such as DUIs, assaults, narcotics offenses, and serious crimes like murder and s*xual assault.

Johnson later served as a federal prosecutor in the US Attorney's Office after more than five years in the District Attorney's Office.

Erlinda Ocampo Johnson prosecuted a wide range of intricate drug cases at the US Attorney's Office, including cases involving the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force, criminal enterprises, conspiracies, evidence from telephone wiretaps, and criminal immigration offenses.

At her legal practice, Law Office of Erlinda Ocampo Johnson, LLC, Johnson currently handles criminal immigration, civil rights, criminal defense, and personal injury cases.

In addition, Johnson also handles cases involving undercover and informant operations, narcotics interdiction, racketeering, and intricate federal murder cases involving multiple defendants.

Her website further stated that-

“With over a decade of training as a Federal and State prosecutor, followed by over a decade of Criminal Defense, Civil Rights, and Personal Injury Law Practice, Ms. Johnson has obtained an extensive and thorough understanding of Federal and State Criminal, Civil, and Personal Injury Law and Procedure as well as a profound respect and admiration for all of her clients.”

On the other hand, because of his involvement in the cinematographer's death, Kari Morrissey, the special prosecutor from New Mexico handling the case, has accused actor Alec Baldwin of involuntary manslaughter.

In addition, as a special prosecutor, Morrissey also prosecuted Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, Rust's armorer, who was accused of involuntary manslaughter for neglecting to inspect the gun before giving it to Baldwin.

Morrissey is a University of New Mexico alumnus. Associated Press reported that Morrissey has been one of Albuquerque's top lawyers for more than 20 years. Her primary areas of interest are civil rights and criminal defense.

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More about Alec Baldwin's trial

On October 21, 2021, Alec Baldwin unintentionally shot and killed 65-year-old cinematographer Hutchins while practicing an action scene with a prop gun that contained a live round. While it is unclear where she was shot, some reports suggest it was in the upper body.

Alec Baldwin's case started (Image via Getty)

Hilaria, his wife, and other members of Baldwin's family attended the court proceedings. Baldwin is best known for his roles as Donald Trump on Saturday Night Live and as Jack Donaghy in the NBC series 30 Rock.

In response to the criminal charge, he further insisted that he did not pull the trigger when he pulled back the gun's hammer, and he blamed the crew for being careless in giving him a gun that was loaded with live bullets. Furthermore, he entered a not-guilty plea.