Actor Alec Baldwin is facing involuntary manslaughter charges after the New Mexico district attorney filed the charges against him Thursday.
Baldwin was involved in an on-set shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins in October 2021 that resulted in her death. The armorer involved in the film Rust, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, is also being charged with two felony counts: involuntary manslaughter and involuntary manslaughter in the commission of a lawful act. District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies is charging both “in the alternative,” which means the jury will have to decide between the two counts that the defendants are guilty of rather than deciding whether the two are guilty at all.
Should the jury find Baldwin and Gutierrez-Reed guilty of involuntary manslaughter, a misdemeanor charge of negligent use of a firearm will also be tacked on. According to a statement from Carmack-Altwies office, it is punishable by up to 18 months in jail and a $5,000 fine. A guilty verdict in the case of involuntary manslaughter in the commission of a lawful act is punishable by a mandatory five years in jail because a firearm was used.
ALEC BALDWIN’S WIFE HILARIA REVEALS THEY ARE ‘NOT OK’ AFTER RUST SHOOTING
“After a thorough review of the evidence and the laws of the state of New Mexico, I have determined that there is sufficient evidence to file criminal charges against Alec Baldwin and other members of the ‘Rust’ film crew,” Carmack-Altwies said in a statement posted to social media. “On my watch, no one is above the law, and everyone deserves justice.”
Baldwin, for his part, has already paid an undisclosed settlement to Hutchins’s family. He is also facing a lawsuit from Rust script supervisor Mamie Mitchell in which he has filed a cross-complaint against the other defendants in an attempt to abdicate fault for the civil complaint.
“This decision distorts Halyna Hutchins’ tragic death and represents a terrible miscarriage of justice,” Baldwin’s attorney, Luke Nikas of Quinn Emanuel, said in a statement to the Washington Examiner. “Mr. Baldwin had no reason to believe there was a live bullet in the gun — or anywhere on the movie set. He relied on the professionals with whom he worked, who assured him the gun did not have live rounds. We will fight these charges, and we will win.”
Assistant director David Halls signed a plea agreement after Carmack-Altwies charged him of negligent use of a deadly weapon. As a result, he now has a suspended sentence and faces six months of probation. No one has been charged regarding the injuries director Joel Souza sustained from the shooting.
“If any one of these three people — Alec Baldwin, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, or David Halls — had done their job, Halyna Hutchins would be alive today. It’s that simple,” the case’s special prosecutor, Andrea Reeb, said. “The evidence clearly shows a pattern of criminal disregard for safety on the ‘Rust’ film set. In New Mexico, there is no room for film sets that don’t take our state’s commitment to gun safety and public safety seriously.”
Attorney Brian Panish, who represented the Hutchins family in their settlements following Hutchins’s death, issued a statement in response to the charges.
“We want to thank the Santa Fe Sheriff and the District Attorney for concluding their thorough investigation and determining that charges for involuntary manslaughter are warranted for the killing of Halyna Hutchins with conscious disregard for human life,” Panish told the Hollywood Reporter. “Our independent investigation also supports charges are warranted.”
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Preliminary hearings will be set by the New Mexico First District Court, which are typically scheduled within 60 days of charges being filed, according to the DA’s office.
