Halyna Hutchins' Mother Visits Grave On Second Anniversary Of Daughter's Death
By Kristin Myers on October 23, 2023 at 6:30 PM EDT
The mother of the late "Rust" cinematographer Halyna Hutchins traveled all the way from Ukraine to place flowers on her daughter's grave on the second anniversary of her death.
Her mother, Olga Hutchins, was seen wiping away tears from her eyes as she carried a bouquet of flowers through a Los Angeles cemetery where her daughter is buried.
Halyna Hutchins Was Fatally Shot By Alec Baldwin On October 21, 2021
Halyna, 42, was working on the set of the Western film "Rust" at the time of her death on October 21, 2021. She was rehearsing a scene in a church just outside Santa Fe, New Mexico when actor Alec Baldwin pulled a prop gun from his holster and pointed it at the camera.
Although the "30 Rock" actor has maintained that he never pulled the trigger, the gun went off. The bullet passed through Hutchins and struck director Joel Souza, who was standing behind her. Souza was hospitalized as a result of the incident but managed to make a full recovery and finished filming "Rust" with Alec Baldwin in Montana in May 2023. Hutchins did not survive.
Halyna Hutchins' husband filed a wrongful death lawsuit in October 2021. However, it was settled in February 2022. As part of the settlement, Matthew Hutchins was named an executive producer on the film, which has not yet set a release date.
The rest of the Hutchins family, including her parents and siblings, filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Baldwin, 65, and other "Rust" producers claiming that their negligence and lack of appropriate safety measures on set led to the death of their daughter.
'There was a real human being here who was shot to death that day'
On Monday, family attorney Gloria Allred released a statement saying, 'There's a family here that is hurting, that is in pain, that is suffering. There was a real human being here who was shot to death that day, and we're always going to remember Halyna."
At this time, it is still unclear how live ammunition ended up in the gun that Baldwin was holding that day. The "Supercell" actor has maintained that he never pulled the trigger.
It is worth noting that armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed was not actually in the church during the rehearsal. Baldwin claims that first assistant director David Halls told him that the gun was "cold," which means it did not have live ammunition in it. Halls pled guilty to the negligent use of a firearm and faced probation.
In January 2023, both Alec Baldwin and Hannah Gutierrez-Reed were charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter for their involvement in the death of Halyna Hutchins. The second charge carried an additional firearm enhancement that was dropped after Baldwin's legal team successfully argued that the enhancement was unconstitutional, as it had not been put into law at the time of Hutchins' death.
Alec Baldwin May Still Face Charges For His Role In Halyna Hutchins' Death
After a series of legal setbacks, special prosecutors dropped charges against Alec Baldwin in April 2023 when new evidence showed that the prop gun could have been malfunctioned and fired without the trigger being pulled due to modifications made to the prop gun. However, in June, prosecutors warned that they had dropped the charges against Baldwin without prejudice, meaning that he could face criminal charges again at any time.
Earlier this month, prosecutors revealed that they do plan to refile charges against the "Supercell" actor; however, they have not been formally filed at this time. If they refile charges of involuntary manslaughter against the actor, he could face a maximum sentence of eighteen months behind bars and a $5,000 fine. A judge could also serve him a lighter sentence of probation.
Special prosecutors Kari T. Morrissey and Jason J. Lewis released a statement, saying, "After extensive investigation over the past several months, additional facts have come to light that we believe show Mr. Baldwin has criminal culpability."
"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," they added.
Meanwhile, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed has pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter and an additional charge of evidence tampering. In June 2023, special prosecutors claimed that a witness came forward to allege that Hannah Gutierrez-Reed had transferred cocaine to another individual on the day that Hutchins was killed, thus impeding the police investigation. Her trial, which was originally scheduled for December 2023, has been postponed to February 2024.
