New Mexico prosecutor’s office dismisses charges against actor Alec Baldwin

First modification: 04/21/2023 – 04:30

Criminal manslaughter charges have been dropped against actor Alec Baldwin, who shot himself in the set recording of the film ‘Rust’ to the director of photography Halyna Hutchins.

In a statement, his lawyers Luke Nikas and Alex Spiro said they were “pleased with the decision to dismiss the case against Alec Baldwin.” They also ruled that: “We encourage a proper investigation into the facts and circumstances of this tragic accident.”

News of the dropped charges came the same day that Baldwin and other cast members resumed shooting the film in Montana.

In January, The actor had been charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter for the death of Hutchins and for the injuries caused to the film’s director, Joel Souza, who was hit by the same bullet that went through the cinematographer.

The weapons supervisor who provided Baldwin with the pistol at the set recorder, Hannah Gutiérrez-Reed, is accused of the same charges and the process against her will continue. She has pleaded not guilty.

Gutiérrez-Reed’s lawyers said in a statement that they “expect fully that at the end of this process Hannah will also be exonerated,” adding that “the truth about what happened will come to light and the questions we have sought answers to for a long time time will be answered.”

For his part, Baldwin has claimed in interviews that he was assured that the gun was safe and that he never pulled the trigger. However, an FBI forensics report found that the gun could not have been fired unless the trigger was pulled.

Hutchins’ death occurred during rehearsal on October 21, 2021, when a Colt.45 revolver was fired while Baldwin was pointing at the camera.

Investigators have been unable to determine how the live ammunition reached the set.

The new evidence showed that the firearm used by Baldwin had been modified, and prosecutors could no longer prove that it required pulling the trigger to fire, a source close to the case told Reuters.

Heather Brewer, a spokeswoman for the Santa Fe district attorney’s office in the state of New Mexico, declined to comment on the status of the criminal charges against Baldwin.

It is not yet clear if the charges against Baldwin could be brought up again later.

“This is very different from what the first prosecutor said,” said John Day, a Santa Fe-based criminal defense attorney, noting the arrival of a new team of prosecutors on the Rust case in late March.

New Mexico prosecutors have been mired in legal missteps since filing charges against Baldwin and Gutierrez-Reed in January. The most serious charges against the defendants were dropped in February and two prosecutors have resigned.

Rust’s security coordinator and deputy director, David Halls, accepted the charges in March and received a conviction for unsafe handling of a firearm.

Plans to resume filming

Last year, the cinematographer’s widower, Matthew Hutchins, settled and became an executive producer on the film.

Despite the agreement, lawyers for the Hutchins family said they welcomed the criminal charges against Baldwin when they were filed, but have yet to react to Thursday’s decision.

Director Souza reported that he will return to direct the production of ‘Rust’ to honor the legacy of Halyna Hutchins.

From stardom to underground

The charges against Baldwin caused his popularity to plummet and affected his 40-year acting career. He has been known for his roles in ‘The Hunt for Red October’, a starring role in the comedy ’30 Rock’, as well as iconic appearances in the Martin Scorsese film ‘The Departed’.

Baldwin had few recordings after the shooting, though he was active on social media, where he has made videos on Instagram, recorded a podcast and posted a photo of his wife and seven children.

With Reuters and AP