❮
❯
TRENDING
Feb. 5, 2024
Alec Baldwin Pleads Not Guilty to Manslaughter
Notable actor Alec Baldwin has pleaded not guilty to manslaughter in the Rust shooting, eluding a formal arraignment on the charge. By: Dylan Low
Baldwin will spend 18 months in prison if he is
sentenced for negligently shooting Halyna Hutchins, the film’s cinematographer,
back in October 2021.
Baldwin was put on trial by a New Mexico grand jury
on January 19th, a year after prosecutors initially filed charges against him
that were dropped afterwards. The actor was slated to appear for a video indictment
through Google Meet on Thursday, but instead decided to forego the appearance.
The Rust actor remains free without bail.
Under the terms of release, he cannot be holding any firearms or have any
alcohol consumption, and is not to have association with the case’s witnesses
excluding business reasons linked to the premiere of the film.
The terms also disallow him from requesting
witnesses to be part of in a behind-the-scenes documentary about the creation
of the film.
Baldwin was getting ready for a scene in the
controversial film when his Colt .45 gun was fired, killing the cinematographer
and injuring the director. The film’s armorer, Hannah Gutierrez Reed, will
undergo a trial next month on charges of involuntary manslaughter and evidence
tampering.
Baldwin has issued the statement that he did not
pull the trigger, and has been instructed not to point a gun at someone and
fire. A dispute over whether the gun was functioning properly resulted in
dismissal of the original charges last April, with prosecutors not prepared to
bring the case to a preliminary hearing.
The special prosecutors in the case, Kari Morrissey
and Jason Lewis, hired forensic experts who deduced last summer that the
trigger must be pulled for it to fire. Morrissey and Lewis hence look to
reinstate the charges if it could be proven that the gun was functioning.
Baldwin’s lawyers are expected to challenge that
judgement, with claims that the gun was broken during earlier test firing at an
FBI lab.
SAG-AFTRA has also backed Baldwin’s conduct in the
case, claiming that as an actor he was not responsible for gun safety on set.
Baldwin also featured as the film’s producer, though the degree of his
supervision role has been discussed.
To never miss a story — sign up for Viral
Weekly free newsletter to stay
up-to-date with compelling TV and Film news and views.
