On Tuesday, actor and Rust movie producer Alec Baldwin was formally charged with involuntary manslaughter in connection to the October 2021 fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.
According to the New York Post, a complaint filed in New Mexico First Judicial revealed that Baldwin as well as the film’s armorer Hannah Gutierez-Reed were each charged with two felony counts of involuntary manslaughter and involuntary manslaughter in the commission of a lawful act.
Baldwin and Gutierrez-Reed have both been charged "in the alternative," meaning that a jury can only convict them on one of the two counts they’ve been charged with.
Involuntary manslaughter carried a maximum sentence of 18 months, while involuntary manslaughter in the commission of a lawful act carries a minimum sentence of five years in prison.
A spokesperson for the DA’s office said that the defendants will not be arrested, nor do they need to appear in court on Tuesday. They will need to appear before a judge, either in-person or over video call, within 15 days of the charges being filed.
In October of 2021, 42-year-old Hutchins was fatally shot and 49-year-old film director Joel Souza was injured after Baldwin fired a prop gun that was loaded with live ammunition.
In a statement from New Mexico First Judicial District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies earlier this month announcing the office’s intention to file charges, she said that "a thorough review of the evidence and the laws of the state of New Mexico" determined that there is sufficient evidence to file criminal charges against Alec Baldwin and other members of the ‘Rust’ film crew."
"On my watch, no one is above the law, and everyone deserves justice," Carmack-Altwies said.
"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," said Andrea Reeb, the special prosecutor appointed by the DA to the case. "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."
Assistant Director David Hall signed a plea agreement for the charge of negligent use of a deadly weapon, with the terms including a suspended sentence and six months probation.
The production’s head armorer, Gutierrez-Reed, had previously had a number of complaints lodged against her in regard to concerns over her careless handling of weapons.
Gutierrez-Reed and her assistants had also been allegedly playing with weapons on the set of Rust. Hutchins had reportedly been advocating for safer conditions for her team.
In November of 2022, Baldwin launched a lawsuit against several crew members of the film for reckless and dereliction of duty.
The suit named Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the chief armorer, Assistant Director Dave Halls, Prop Master Sarah Zachry, and Seth Kenney, the gun supplier.
In October of 2022, Baldwin settled a wrongful death suit with Hutchins’ family. As part of the agreement, Matthew Hutchins, Halyna’s widower, will act as an executive producer when the film resumes production.
This is a breaking story and will be updated.
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