20-1-2024 (CALIFORNIA) Actor Alec Baldwin has been hit with a new charge of involuntary manslaughter in relation to the fatal shooting incident on the set of the movie “Rust” in October 2021. The latest charge comes after previous charges against Baldwin were dropped last April, just weeks before the scheduled start of his criminal trial.
The grand jury in New Mexico issued the fresh charge, citing “additional facts” from forensic tests conducted on the weapon involved in the shooting. Baldwin’s lawyers responded by stating that they are looking forward to presenting their case in court.
During the incident, Baldwin, 65, was practicing with a Colt .45 pistol before filming a scene for “Rust,” a Western film being shot near Santa Fe. The gun accidentally discharged, fatally striking cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and injuring director Joel Souza. Baldwin has maintained that he did not pull the trigger, but rather only drew back the hammer of the pistol. He argues that he is not at fault for Hutchins’ death because he was unaware that the weapon contained live rounds and that live ammunition was not supposed to be present on set.
Special prosecutors in New Mexico commissioned forensic experts to reconstruct the weapon after it was broken during FBI testing. Their findings indicated that the trigger had to be pulled for the incident to occur, contradicting Baldwin’s claims.
The new evidence was presented to a grand jury, which issued a one-count indictment on Friday. The indictment includes two alternative legal theories, alleging that Baldwin was either negligent in his use of the firearm or acted with “total disregard or indifference for the safety of others.” Prosecutors have clarified that Baldwin can be convicted on only one of these theories, not both. If found guilty, he could face up to 18 months in prison.
Lawyers representing Hutchins’ family expressed their anticipation for the upcoming trial, stating that their clients have always sought the truth about the incident. Baldwin, who has expressed shock and sadness over the death of Hutchins, has reported difficulty in finding acting work since the incident occurred.
This latest indictment comes exactly one year after the initial manslaughter charge was announced against Baldwin. However, the original case fell apart due to challenges from Baldwin’s legal team, and the initial team of prosecutors stepped down. The charge was dismissed in April 2023 after evidence suggested that the gun may have been modified, leading to a malfunction that caused it to discharge without the trigger being pulled.
As prosecutors considered whether to refile charges based on the new forensic results, civil lawsuits against Baldwin and other producers of “Rust” were put on hold by judges.
“Rust,” a low-budget independent film, was completed in May as a tribute to Hutchins and is currently awaiting distribution. Baldwin, who stars in the film as outlaw Harland Rust and co-wrote it with director Joel Souza, had considered it a passion project.
The film’s armorer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, is facing her own manslaughter charge and a charge of evidence tampering. She has pleaded not guilty and is scheduled to stand trial next month. Dave Halls, the first assistant director responsible for safety on set, pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor charge of negligent use of a deadly weapon and received six months of unsupervised probation.
