The actor’s lawyers confirmed Thursday that the manslaughter charges that Alec Baldwin faced in the shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins were dropped.
The next hearing in a series of eleven preliminary hearings on Baldwin’s case was scheduled for May 3 in Santa Fe.
“We are pleased with the decision to drop the case against Alec Baldwin and encourage an appropriate investigation into the facts and circumstances of this tragic accident,” Alec Baldwin’s attorneys Luke Nikas and Alex Spiro told The Daily Beast.
Hutchins was fatally shot to death while working on the New Mexico set of Baldwin in 2021. Rust, When the propeller gun that the actor was rehearsing went off. Baldwin and Rust armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed faced up to 18 months in prison if convicted of manslaughter charges; Gutierrez-Reed will now face these charges alone.
“The new team of special prosecutors has taken a very diligent and thorough approach to the entire investigation, which we welcome and always welcome,” Gutierrez-Reed’s lawyers told The Daily Beast. “They are looking for the truth, and so are we. The truth about what happened will come out and the questions we have long sought answers for will be answered. At the end of this process, we expect Hannah to be acquitted as well.”
production RustA spokesperson for the movie said the movie, which was stopped when Hutchins was killed, is also scheduled to restart in Montana this week. CNN.
As part of an undisclosed deal that Baldwin reached with the Hutchins family last October, the production Rust It will be completed with Halyna Hutchins’ husband, Matthew Hutchins, producing the film.
“I am not interested in making mutual accusations or attributing the blame[to the producers or Mr. Baldwin],” Matthew Hutchins said last October. “We all believe that Halyna’s death was a terrible accident. I’m grateful that the producers and entertainment community came together to commemorate Halyna’s latest work.”
The Daily Beast arrived on Thursday, with Matthew Hutchins for no comment.
Baldwin is still facing an additional civil lawsuit filed by Halyna Hutchins’ mother, father and younger sister alleging “beating, willful emotional distress, neglect and loss of consortium”. In addition, three members of the film crew recently sued the actor, claiming that he suffered “blast injuries” and emotional trauma from the fatal shooting.
Six weeks after Hutchins’ murder, Baldwin sat down for an emotionally charged interview with George Stephanopoulos, describing the incident as the “worst thing” that had ever happened to him.
“I want to make sure I don’t come across as the victim,” Baldwin told Stephanopoulos. But he later added: “Someone fired a real bullet into the gun, a bullet that shouldn’t have been in the field. Someone is responsible for what happened, and I can’t say who it is, but I know it wasn’t me.”
Additional reporting by Josh Fiallo.