Hollywood actor Alec Baldwin has entered a plea of not guilty to the involuntary manslaughter charge in the tragic shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins during a rehearsal on the set of a Western movie in New Mexico.
The court documents, filed on Wednesday, revealed that Baldwin waived the arraignment, which had been scheduled for a remote video conference the next day, in state district court in Santa Fe.
Baldwin, who is both the lead actor and a co-producer on the movie "Rust," was handling a gun during a rehearsal outside Santa Fe in October 2021 when it discharged, resulting in the death of Hutchins and injuries to director Joel Souza.
A grand jury in Santa Fe indicted Baldwin in January, following a renewed charge based on a new analysis of the gun. The original charge, filed in April 2023, had been dismissed.
Baldwin is currently free pending trial, with conditions that include abstaining from possessing firearms, consuming alcohol, or leaving the country. Additionally, he has limited contact with witnesses when it comes to promoting "Rust," which has not been publicly released. Baldwin is also prohibited from requesting members of the "Rust" cast or crew to participate in a related documentary.
The actor claimed he had pulled back the hammer, but not the trigger, and the gun fired during the incident. An analysis of the gun conducted by forensic experts concluded that the trigger had to be pulled or depressed to release the fully cocked hammer.
Weapons supervisor Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, also charged with involuntary manslaughter, is set to face a jury trial starting on February 22. Gutierrez-Reed has pleaded not guilty to both charges and is accused of tampering with evidence in Hutchins' death. She is also facing a separate charge for carrying a gun into a Santa Fe bar before being hired for the "Rust" production, to which she has pleaded not guilty.
If convicted, Baldwin could face up to 18 months in prison.
No comments:
Post a Comment