Prosecutors claim new evidence shows Alec Baldwin has “criminal culpability” for ‘Rust’ shooting
Prosecutors in New Mexico intend to refile an involuntary manslaughter charge against Alec Baldwin after he allegedly discharged a prop gun on the set of Rust in October 2021, killing cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.
Earlier this year, Baldwin was cleared of any criminal involvement in the tragic death of Hutchins. However, in a new statement, prosecutors claim that new evidence has emerged showing that Baldwin has “criminal culpability” for the killing of Hutchins and the injury sustained to director Joel Souza.
NBC News reports that the case will be presented to a grand jury in mid-November. “After extensive investigation over the past several months, additional facts have come to light that we believe show Mr. Baldwin has criminal culpability in the death of Halyna Hutchins and the shooting of Joel Souza,” special prosecutors Kari Morrisey and Jason Lewis claim in a new statement.
“We believe the appropriate course of action is to permit a panel of New Mexico citizens to determine from here whether Mr. Baldwin should be held over for criminal trial.”
In an interview with The New York Times, Morrisey said: “We believe that based on our lengthy and detailed investigation that it is appropriate for a grand jury in New Mexico to make a decision on whether the case should proceed”.
She continued: “The forensic testing of the gun concluded with certainty that the trigger of the gun had to have been pulled for the gun to go off”. She also claimed they intend to begin presenting the case to a grand jury on November 16th.
In a responding statement issued on October 17th, Alec Baldwin’s lawyers, Luke Nikas and Alex Spiro, said: “It is unfortunate that a terrible tragedy has been turned into this misguided prosecution. We will answer any charges in court.”
In other Rust news, prosecutors accused the movie’s producers of obstructing the investigation earlier this month. In a hearing on October 6th, which forms part of the ongoing trial of the film’s armourer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the prosecution weighed in on the production team, claiming they “either intervened, interfered, or obstructed the criminal investigation in this case.”
Baldwin is yet to comment on the new report.
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