Alec Baldwin, the renowned actor, has entered a not guilty plea in the tragic shooting on the set of the film “Rust.” This legal maneuver allowed him to avoid a formal arraignment on the charge. If convicted of the crime of negligently shooting Halyna Hutchins, the cinematographer on the film, Baldwin could face up to 18 months in prison.
Baldwin, who was indicted by a New Mexico grand jury on January 19, 2024, has had charges filed against him in relation to this incident in the past, only for them to be dropped. In a surprising turn of events, he chose to waive his video arraignment via Google Meet and instead decided not to appear.
Despite the charges, Baldwin remains free without bail. As part of the terms of his release, he is prohibited from possessing firearms or consuming alcohol. Additionally, he is not allowed to have contact with witnesses involved in the case, except for business reasons associated with the film’s release. Baldwin is also forbidden from approaching witnesses to participate in a behind-the-scenes documentary centered on the making of the movie.
The fatal incident occurred while Baldwin was preparing for a scene in the Western film, and his Colt .45 gun discharged, tragically killing the cinematographer and injuring the director. On a separate note, Hannah Gutierrez Reed, the film’s armorer, is set to go on trial next month on charges of involuntary manslaughter and evidence tampering.
Throughout this ordeal, Baldwin has consistently maintained that he did not pull the trigger, stating that he has been trained not to aim and shoot at someone. The initial charges filed against him last April were dropped due to a dispute over the functionality of the gun. Prosecutors were not prepared to proceed with a preliminary hearing until they could determine whether the weapon was working properly.
Special prosecutors Kari Morrissey and Jason Lewis, in an attempt to gather more evidence, enlisted the help of forensic experts who concluded last summer that the trigger must have been pulled for the gun to fire. They vowed to re-file the charges if it could be proven that the firearm was functioning correctly. Baldwin’s legal team is expected to challenge this conclusion, arguing that the gun was defective during earlier test firing at an FBI lab.
SAG-AFTRA, the actors’ union, has come forward in defense of Baldwin, asserting that as an actor, he was not responsible for gun safety on set. It is worth mentioning that Baldwin was also a producer on the film, although the extent of his oversight responsibilities remains a matter of debate.
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