A new charge of involuntary manslaughter has been filed against Alec Baldwin in New Mexico. He will be arraigned on Thursday for the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the film Rust in 2021.
The actor was charged this month for the shooting, almost a year after prosecutors initially dropped similar charges against him. The prosecutor’s office had stated that they would continue to investigate the incident and could potentially bring back the charges.
Earlier this month, prosecutors presented the case to the grand jury in Santa Fe. They claimed that Baldwin was responsible for Hutchins’s death due to either negligence or a complete disregard for safety. The grand jury chose to indict.
During a rehearsal for a western drama in October 2021, Baldwin, who was both an actor and co-producer, accidentally discharged a gun that hit cinematographer Hutchins and the film’s director, Joel Souza. Hutchins unfortunately passed away at a nearby hospital.
In a 2021 interview, Baldwin claimed that he had pulled back the hammer of the gun before it discharged. However, he maintains that he did not actually pull the trigger. He stated that he believed the firearm was safe and loaded with blanks, and therefore denies any responsibility for the shooting.
The speaker believes that someone is to blame for the situation, but they are certain that it is not themselves. They express that if they truly believed they were at fault, they may have resorted to taking their own life, and this is not a statement to be taken lightly.
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The main focus of the prosecution’s argument is centered on his dual involvement as both an actor who held the weapon and a co-producer with legal responsibility for ensuring production safety.
The district attorney had previously dismissed the accusations against Baldwin due to indications that the hammer of the gun may have been altered, enabling it to discharge without the trigger being pulled.
However, a separate forensic examination requested by the prosecution determined that Baldwin would have been the one to pull the trigger of the revolver in order for it to shoot the live round that fatally wounded Hutchins in the chest.
According to the analysis, despite Alec Baldwin’s repeated denial of pulling the trigger, based on the reported tests, findings, and observations, it is evident that the trigger was pulled or pressed enough to release the fully cocked or retracted hammer of the revolver in question.
Baldwin’s legal team has characterized the events as a “terrible tragedy” that has been unjustly pursued by the prosecution.
“We are eagerly anticipating our court date,” stated Luke Nikas and Alex Spiro, the defense lawyers representing Baldwin, in response to the announcement of the indictment earlier this month.
David Halls, the assistant director of the film who provided the weapon to Baldwin, received a suspended sentence of six months with unsupervised probation. He was also fined $500, ordered to complete 24 hours of community service, and required to take a firearms safety class. This was in relation to the charge of negligent use of a deadly weapon in the case.
Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the main person in charge of weapons for the movie, has also been accused of involuntary manslaughter and is scheduled to stand trial this year.
Baldwin and the other producers are also dealing with legal actions requesting financial reparation, including from individuals on the Rust team. In 2022, the actor came to a confidential agreement with Hutchins’s family.
The company, Rust Movie Productions, was fined $100,000 by workplace safety regulators in New Mexico.
Last year in April, the movie restarted filming with Matthew Hutchins, the executive producer and husband of the late cinematographer.
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This report was made possible with contributions from Reuters.
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The article has been edited on January 31st to clarify that Alec Baldwin’s arraignment date is on Thursday, February 1st.
Source: theguardian.com
