Summary
- Alec Baldwin indicted on an involuntary manslaughter charge by a grand jury for the shooting of Halyna Hutchins during Rust rehearsals.
- Prosecutors presented the case to the jury, but details remain unknown due to courtroom secrecy.
- Baldwin continues to claim he did not pull the trigger, despite reports suggesting otherwise.
Alec Baldwin has been indicted on an involuntary manslaughter charge by a grand jury, revisiting the case against the Rust star for the shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins during rehearsals on the set of the movie.
Back in October, it was revealed that New Mexico prosecutors were planning to re-charge Alec Baldwin with involuntary manslaughter in connection to the fatal Rust shooting that happened back in 2021. A source told NBC News at the time that the actor’s case was set to be brought before a grand jury sometime in mid-November. Back in October of 2021, Baldwin was charged with involuntary manslaughter in connection to the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. However, the charge was later dropped after the defense noted that the weapon in question had been modified, which provided enough reasonable doubt whether the revolver was properly working when the shooting happened.
As per AP News, today’s proceedings saw special prosecutors delivering their case to the jury over a day and a half, but with the hearing being shrouded in secrecy, and the legal teams on both sides yet to speak out, there is little known about exactly what went down in the court.
Hutchins was 42 years old at the time of her death and was killed after being hit by a live round on set of the Western movie, Rust, which was filming near Santa Fe, New Mexico when the incident occurred.
After the original charges against Baldwin were dropped, the prosecution team received additional analysis on the firearm which had concluded that the only way the gun could have gone off is if Baldwin had pulled or depressed the trigger. Despite the gun being broken by the FBI as it underwent tests, a reconstructed version was used to complete testing and has seemingly provided enough evidence for the case to continue.
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Alec Baldwin Has Continued to Claim He Did Not Pull the Trigger
For his part, Baldwin has continuously maintained in interviews with ABC News and CNN that he did not pull the trigger. Back in December of 2021, during an interview with ABC New’s George Stephanopoulos, the actor stated:
“I feel that someone is responsible for what happened, and I can’t say who that is, but I know it’s not me.”
When the involuntary manslaughter charges were dropped, prosecutors noted that the revolver could have been modified prior to the shooting, however, a gun analysis report from the special prosecutors that was released in August stated that the weapon had not been altered. Additionally, Rust armorer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed was also charged with involuntary manslaughter back in January. Later in August, it was revealed that Gutierrez-Reed had been pushed back to February 21, 2024. The Rust armorer’s attorney, Jason Bowles, has previously stated that Gutierrez-Reed will enter a plea of not guilty.
Back in June, Hutchin’s husband, Matthew, settled a wrongful death suit with Baldwin and the Rust producers. The western later resuming filming over spring with Matthew Hutchins serving as an executive producer for Rust.
Following the settlement, Matthew said:
“All of us believe Halyna’s death was a terrible accident. I am grateful that the producers and the entertainment community have come together to pay tribute to Halyna’s final work.”
Rust has not yet been given a release date.
