Alec Baldwin was offered sweetheart deal in 'Rust' shooting

Alec Baldwin was originally offered a plea deal by prosecutors that would not require him to serve jail time for the manslaughter of “Rust” cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, according to a public filing reported by Variety.

The plea deal in question mirrored one accepted by Dave Halls, the first assistant director of "Rust," who faced charges related to negligent handling of a deadly weapon. Halls avoided prison time and instead received six months of unsupervised probation, a $500 fine, 24 hours of community service, and mandatory firearm safety classes.

Baldwin was initially offered a similar deal last October. However, before he could decide whether or not to accept it, prosecutors withdrew the deal and instead informed Baldwin's legal team that they would seek to indict him.

Amidst these developments, Baldwin's lawyers have levied multiple accusations of misconduct against prosecutors, alleging leaks of confidential information to an NBC reporter.

The presiding judge over the case previously imposed restrictions on public disclosures regarding the grand jury proceedings and postponed proceedings to January. However, Baldwin's legal team contends that special prosecutor Kari Morrissey prejudiced the court process by sharing information that was then reported by NBC.

Furthermore, Baldwin and his attorney have challenged the addition of seven witnesses by the Santa Fe County District Attorney's office, alleging bias in the proceedings.

Baldwin currently faces charges of involuntary manslaughter after a gun used on set fatally wounded Hutchins. While Baldwin maintains his innocence, witnesses have testified against Baldwin’s actions during the filming of the movie. 

Last month, former armorer for Rust Hannah Guttierez-Reed testified that Baldwin failed to take firearm training sessions seriously before production of Rust began.

"I told them that he needed more time to practice his cross draw because I didn’t want him to have complications with it on filming day," Guttierez-Reed testified.

The stage is now set for Baldwin’s trial which is scheduled to take place in July. The actor faces 18 months in prison if convicted.