Alec Baldwin, barring a last-minute miracle, will have to play the most complicated role of his long film and television career. This time, however, it will be a performance in a non-fiction affair, with a script where the ending is not yet written.
In a radical change in the prosecution, the actor must finally go to trial, accused of involuntary manslaughter, for the death of camerawoman Halyna Hutchins. He died on a set in New Mexico on October 21, 2021, during the filming of ‘Rust’, a western, when Baldwin was rehearsing a scene and fired a vintage pistol (he says it went off by itself) to test it. It turned out that he was carrying real bullets instead of dummy ones.
The decision to charge him was announced this Friday after a grand jury in Santa Fe (New Mexico), made up of twelve people, heard the evidence presented by the special prosecutors in the case, Kari Morrissey and Jason Lewis. The two public prosecutors were named last April, after the original case was dismissed due to poor investigation.
“We look forward to our day in court,” Luke Nikas and Alex Spiro, the defense attorneys, responded defiantly in a statement. If he is found guilty, the actor can be sentenced to 18 months in prison. A trial date has not yet been set.
Actor and producer of ‘Rust’, Baldwin, 65, has always maintained that he is not responsible for Hutchins’ death. First he argued that he was told that the gun did not contain real bullets and that there was not even live ammunition in the room. He also insisted that he did not pull the trigger when the gun went off. But a forensic report, endorsed by the FBI, determined that he had to pull the trigger for the projectile to come out, a conclusion that is the basis for the summary to be unearthed.
For a long time it was considered that it would be very rare for the accusation to be revived. Meanwhile, he has not stopped being in the focus of current events. He recently had an altercation with a pro-Palestine protester and has made numerous posts on the networks about politicians and his family. Furthermore, amid complaints that this criminal investigation influenced the difficulty in receiving job offers, signs of financial pressure had emerged. He listed his 10,000-square-foot home in the Hamptons for $19 million.
In reality, Baldwin is charged with two different counts of involuntary manslaughter, although he can only be tried for one. In the most serious case, they accuse him of “total disregard or indifference for the safety of others.” The other talks about negligence in the use of the weapon. The bullet also wounded Joel Souza, the film’s director, who recovered.
The person in charge of the weapons, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, also faces the charge of involuntary manslaughter. She has already pleaded guilty and will appear in court in February. Dave Halls, assistant principal, pleaded guilty to negligence and avoided prison.
According to some information, Baldwin also negotiated an extrajudicial agreement with prosecutors to end the case. But it does not work. Some time ago he agreed to pay compensation to Hutchins’ widower and son. The figure was not disclosed.
