Alec Baldwin Could Face 18 Months In Prison Over New 'Rust' Charges
By Kristin Myers on October 17, 2023 at 3:30 PM EDT
Actor Alec Baldwin is going to be charged for his role in the fatal 2021 shooting of “Rust” cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.
The "30 Rock" actor was rehearsing a scene when he pulled a prop gun, which discharged and struck both Hutchins and director Joel Souza. Souza was hospitalized as a result of the incident, but unfortunately, Hutchins passed away. After a lengthy police investigation, "Rust" prosecutors filed charges against the 65-year-old actor and “Rust” armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed.
That being said, charges were dropped against the actor in April without prejudice, meaning that they could refile charges against Baldwin at any time as they continued their investigation. In early June, court documents obtained by The Blast revealed that special prosecutors would make a decision within sixty days. Although those sixty days came and went, it looks like they have now reached a decision to charge Baldwin yet again.
‘Rust’ Special Prosecutors Plan To Refile Criminal Charges Against Alec Baldwin
On Tuesday, October 17, sources familiar with the investigation told NBC News that New Mexico prosecutors intend to recharge Alec Baldwin with involuntary manslaughter for the 2021 shooting of Halyna Hutchins, as per Reuters, who also noted that Baldwin’s case will be brought before a grand jury next month.
If they renew the charges of involuntary manslaughter, that is slated as a fourth-degree felony in New Mexico, which carries a maximum sentence of 18 months in jail and a fine of up to $5,000.
Luke Nikas, an attorney for Baldwin, said in a statement, "It is unfortunate that a terrible tragedy has been turned into this misguided prosecution. We will answer any charges in court.” Although Baldwin has continuously denied pulling the trigger, FBI testing maintained that the trigger had to be pulled in order for the gun to fire.
FBI Says The Trigger Had To Be Pulled For The ‘Rust’ Gun To Fire
In August 2022, ABC News published the findings of an FBI report, which concluded that the “Supercell” actor had to have pulled the trigger on the gun for it to fire.
The report stated that the .45 Long Colt caliber F.lli Pietta single-action revolver “could not be made to fire without a pull of the trigger” with the hammer in the quarter and half-cock positions. With the hammer fully cocked, the FBI says the weapon “could not be made to fire without a pull of the trigger while the working internal components were intact and functional.”
The report explained that, with the hammer de-cocked on a loaded chamber, the weapon was able to detonate a primer “without a pull of the trigger when the hammer was struck directly,” which is reportedly normal for this type of firearm.
Alec Baldwin Maintains That He Never Pulled The Trigger
Less than two months after the shooting, Alec Baldwin took part in an exclusive ABC news interview with news anchor George Stephanopoulos. At the beginning of the teaser clip, the "Boss Baby" actor seemed emotional as he talked about how believed Halyna Hutchins was by the cast and crew.
“She was someone who was loved by everyone who worked with [her], and liked by everyone who worked with [her], and admired,” Baldwin said at the time. “I mean, even now… I find it hard to believe that [it happened]. It just doesn’t seem real to me.”
Later in the interview, Stephanopoulos said, “It wasn’t in the script for the trigger to be pulled.”
“Well, the trigger wasn’t pulled,” Baldwin responded. “I didn’t pull the trigger.”
Stephanopoulos asked, “So you never pulled the trigger?”
“No, no, no, no,” Baldwin replied. “I would never point a gun at anyone and pull the trigger at them, never.”
Stephanopoulos later asked, “How did a real bullet get on that set?”
“I have no idea,” Baldwin replied. “Someone put a live bullet in a gun. A bullet that wasn’t even supposed to be on the property.”
It is still unclear at this time how live ammunition ended up on the set of the Western film in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
'Rust' Armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed Pled Not Guilty
Although “Rust” prosecutors had initially dropped charges against Alec Baldwin, they did not drop charges against Hannah Gutierrez-Reed. In fact, in June, special prosecutors slapped her with an additional charge of tampering with evidence. Prosecutors claim that a witness came forward to allege that the rookie armorer transferred a bag of cocaine to another individual on set the day Hutchins died, thus tampering with the police investigation.
Although the trial against Hannah Gutierrez-Reed was initially scheduled for December 2023, it has been delayed until February 2024. She has pled not guilty to the charges.
