{"id":571332,"date":"2023-04-22T00:54:00","date_gmt":"2023-04-21T21:54:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/alec-baldwin-manslaughter-charges-dropped-in-rust-shooting\/"},"modified":"2023-04-22T00:54:00","modified_gmt":"2023-04-21T21:54:00","slug":"alec-baldwin-manslaughter-charges-dropped-in-rust-shooting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/alec-baldwin-manslaughter-charges-dropped-in-rust-shooting\/","title":{"rendered":"#Alec Baldwin Manslaughter Charges Dropped in \u2018Rust\u2019 Shooting"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n Involuntary manslaughter charges against Alec Baldwin in the 2021 fatal shooting of Rust<\/em>\u00a0cinematographer Halyna Hutchins have been dropped, but New Mexico prosecutors said the decision doesn\u2019t absolve the actor of criminal liability and that there will be further investigation that could lead to new charges. <\/p>\n

\n The decision is the latest setback for the prosecution in a closely watched case over set safety. After the Santa Fe District Attorney\u2019s Office charged armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed and Baldwin with two counts each of involuntary manslaughter, an amended complaint was filed downgrading the charges. The move, which significantly reduced their possible prison time to 18 months if convicted, came after lawyers for the actor and producer of the low-budget Western argued that their client was unconstitutionally charged with violating a recently amended firearm enhancement statute that didn\u2019t exist at the time of the incident. A month later, new special prosecutors were app<\/a>ointed to oversee criminal charges once the prosecutor previously handling the cases was forced to step down due to a potential conflict of interest with her elected position in the New Mexico House of Representatives. <\/p>\n

\n In a statement, Jason Lewis and Kari Morrissey, the special prosecutors leading the case, said that \u201cnew facts were revealed that demand further investigation and forensic analysis in the case.<\/p>\n

\n \u201cConsequently, we cannot proceed under the current time constraints and on the facts and evidence turned over by law enforcement in its existing form,\u201d they added, noting that the decision doesn\u2019t absolve Baldwin of criminal liability. \u201cWe therefore will be dismissing the involuntary manslaughter charges against Mr. Baldwin to conduct further investigation.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n Luke Nikas and Alex Spiro, the lawyers representing Baldwin, said in a statement, \u201cWe are pleased with the decision to dismiss the case against Alec Baldwin and we encourage a proper investigation into the facts and circumstances of this tragic accident.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n The district attorney\u2019s office stressed that charges could be refiled and that a follow-up investigation is still active. Lewis and Morrissey were appointed to the case after former special prosecutor Andrea Reeb bowed out.<\/p>\n

\n Charges against Gutierrez-Reed will move forward, according to the special prosecutors. A two-week preliminary hearing is scheduled to start May 3 to determine if there\u2019s enough evidence to proceed with the prosecution. Jason Bowles, Gutierrez-Reed\u2019s lawyer, initially told The Hollywood Reporter<\/em> that charges against the armorer would be dropped. The special prosecutors later said that charges against the armorer \u201cremain unchanged.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n In a statement, Bowles praised the newly named special prosecutors for reassessing the charges.<\/p>\n

\n \u201cThe new special prosecutor team has taken a very diligent and thorough approach to the entire investigation, which we welcome and have always welcomed,\u201d he said. \u201cThey are seeking the truth and we are also. The truth about what happened will come out and the questions that we have long sought answers for will be answered. We fully expect at the end of this process that Hannah will also be exonerated.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n Filming on Rust<\/em> resumed this week in Montana and is expected to be completed by the end of May, according to Melina Spadone, a lawyer for Rust Movie Productions. Shooting was suspended in October 2021 after a revolver Baldwin was holding discharged, killing Hutchins and injuring director Joel Souza. Hutchins\u2019 widower, Matthew Hutchins, is an executive producer on the movie under a settlement he reached with the production to resolve a wrongful death suit.<\/p>\n

\n \u201cThe production will continue to utilize union crew members and will bar any use of working weapons and any form of ammunition,\u201d Spadone said in a statement. \u201cLive ammunition is \u2014 and always was \u2014 prohibited on set.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n Prior to clearing its members for work on the production, the Directors Guild of America said in a statement that the group \u201cinsisted upon extensive additional safety requirements, including dedicated safety personnel to assess risk and be present on-set throughout the production.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n SAG-AFTRA, which said in a statement that it has \u201ctentatively safety-cleared Rust<\/em>,\u201d also stressed additional safety requirements on set, like the production barring live ammunition and weapons capable of firing ammunition of any kind as well as the presence of union field representatives on the production.<\/p>\n

\n A spokesperson for the union added, \u201ctwo highly regarded industry safety veterans, one a longtime stunt coordinator, are overseeing all aspects of safety as Set Safety Supervisors and will be on location throughout and available to us as necessary.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n Baldwin and Gutierrez-Reed, who loaded the gun the day of the shooting and was responsible for weapons on set, have pleaded not guilty to the charges. The actor has maintained that he didn\u2019t pull the trigger on the gun that killed Hutchins, and it discharged on its own. Prosecutors alleged that Baldwin should have assumed the gun he was handling was loaded with live rounds and known that \u201cthe first rule of gun safety is never to point a gun at someone you don\u2019t intend on shooting,\u201d reads a statement of probable cause. He also allegedly \u201ccontributed to or failed to mitigate or address multiple significant safety violations,\u201d including prior misfires, and fostered an unsafe set by hiring Gutierrez-Reed as the lead armorer.<\/p>\n

\n Dave Halls, the first assistant director on Rust<\/em>, who was responsible for set safety and handed the gun to Baldwin, reached a plea deal on a charge of negligent use of a deadly weapon. He was sentenced to six months of probation.<\/p>\n

\n April 20, 5:27 pm.<\/strong> Correction: A previous version of this story\u00a0relying on information from Gutierrez-Reed\u2019s attorney\u00a0incorrectly stated that charges against her will be dropped. <\/p>\n

\n This story originally published on April 20 at 12:34 p.m.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n