Alec Baldwin's rust prosecutor resigns unexpectedly before case dismissal

Erlinda Ocampo Johnson, the special prosecutor who suddenly stepped down from the Rust involuntary manslaughter case against Alec Baldwin before its dismissal by a judge this week, is sharing her reasons for the decision.

"Prosecutors have high ethical obligations, and when a prosecutor learns of evidence that could be material to the defense was not disclosed, the right thing to do would be to dismiss a case," she tells PEOPLE.

"When that was not done, my ethical obligations compelled me to withdraw," Ocampo Johnson adds.

Baldwin, 66, faced trial nearly three years after a gun he was holding on the set of his film Rust in October 2021 discharged, resulting in the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and injury to director Joel Souza. The case was dismissed on Friday, July 12, following arguments from Baldwin's attorneys that prosecutors had concealed evidence, which his lawyer, Luke Nikas, claimed could have clarified how live ammunition ended up on the set.

Following Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer's decision to drop the charge against Baldwin, Ocampo Johnson explained to NewsNation's Chris Cuomo why she resigned from the case before the dismissal was announced.

"We have an obligation as prosecutors, we have an obligation not only to the people, but to the defendant and our obligation is to make sure that all the evidence is turned over," Ocampo Johnson said of her position. 

"We don't get to decide what the defense is going to be. Our job is to ensure transparency, and to ensure that the defendant has everything that the prosecution has gathered. What they do with it, that's up to them.” 

She added that she has "ethical obligations and personally, I have moral obligations."