Alec Baldwin ‘Rust’ manslaughter charges downgraded
Prosecutors have downgraded the charge of involuntary manslaughter against Alec Baldwin in connection to the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the 2021 Joel Souza film Rust.
Attorneys who were defending both Baldwin and the film’s armourer Hannah Guttierez-Reed, who was in charge of the weapons on the set of the movie, argued that they had been unjustly charged with manslaughter under a New Mexico firearm law that had been passed after the shooting had taken place. The significant downgrading removes the potential five-year prison sentence that both parties faced.
Whilst the potential for prison time has been removed due to the removal of the firearm enhancement charge, the involuntary manslaughter charges remain, meaning that the pair could still face a maximum of 18 months in prison.
Releasing a statement regarding the situation, the spokesperson for the New Mexico First Judicial District Attorney, stated (via The Hollywood Reporter): “In order to avoid further litigious distractions by Mr. Baldwin and his attorneys, the District Attorney and the special prosecutor have removed the firearm enhancement to the involuntary manslaughter charges in the death of Halyna Hutchins on the Rust film set…The prosecution’s priority is securing justice, not securing billable hours for big-city attorneys”.
Original charges were filed against Baldwin and Gutierrez-Reed on January 31st, 2023, over a year after the original incident in which Halyna Hutchins was fatally shot on the set of the movie Rust on October 21st, 2021. The incident occurred when a gun discharged a live round from the hand of the actor and producer Alec Baldwin, killing Hutchins and injuring director Joel Souza.
Speaking in an interview back in 2022 about the incident, Baldwin stated: “I didn’t pull the trigger…I would never point a gun at anybody and pull the trigger”.
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