Alec Baldwin faces manslaughter charges in Rust shooting

Alec Baldwin has been indicted on charges of involuntary manslaughter in connection to the tragic on-set shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.

The development marks a significant turn in the ongoing legal saga surrounding the incident.

Baldwin, 65, had previously faced charges in January 2023, but those charges were dropped three months later due to concerns raised by his defense team about the functionality of the Colt .45 revolver involved in the shooting.

The incident occurred in October 2021, on the set of the film “Rust,” near Santa Fe, New Mexico, while Hutchins was preparing to film a scene alongside Baldwin.

Baldwin has consistently maintained that he did not pull the trigger.

Minimum sentence

If convicted of the involuntary manslaughter charges, Baldwin could face a maximum sentence of up to 18 months in prison.

In a statement released on Friday, Baldwin’s attorneys, Luke Nikas and Alex Spiro, stated, “We look forward to our day in court.”

The case took a new direction when two special prosecutors, Kari Morrissey and Jason Lewis, ordered further forensic testing on the firearm last summer.

Forensic experts Lucien and Michael Haag reconstructed the gun, which had been damaged during FBI testing, and concluded that it could only have discharged if the trigger had been pulled.

According to their report, “This fatal incident was the consequence of the hammer being manually retracted to its fully rearward and cocked position followed, at some point, by the pull or rearward depression of the trigger.

“Although Alec Baldwin repeatedly denies pulling the trigger, given the tests, findings, and observations reported here, the trigger had to be pulled or depressed sufficiently to release the fully cocked or retracted hammer of the evidence revolver.”

Grand jury

Morrissey and Lewis had announced their intention to present the case to a grand jury within two months, citing the emergence of “additional facts” that pointed to Baldwin’s potential culpability.

In response to this decision, Luke Nikas previously stated, “It is unfortunate that a terrible tragedy has been turned into this misguided prosecution. We will answer any charges in court.”

The film’s armorer, Hannah Gutierrez Reed, is set to go on trial on February 21, facing charges of involuntary manslaughter and tampering with evidence. Gutierrez Reed mistakenly loaded a live bullet into Baldwin’s firearm, which was supposed to contain only dummy rounds. How live rounds became mixed in with the dummy rounds on the set remains unclear.