Alec Baldwin Pleads Not Guilty in ‘Rust’ Shooting: Latest Developments Unfold
In a courtroom appearance on Wednesday, Alec Baldwin entered a not guilty plea to an involuntary manslaughter charge stemming from the tragic accidental shooting on the set of the movie “Rust” in 2021. The incident resulted in the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and injuries to director Joel Souza.
Baldwin, 65, faced indictment by a grand jury on January 19, being charged with a single count of involuntary manslaughter. The incident occurred on October 21, 2021, at the Bonanza Creek Ranch in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where Baldwin, holding what was supposed to be a prop gun, unintentionally discharged a live round that fatally struck Hutchins, aged 42.
The actor waived arraignment and entered the not guilty plea, according to his attorney. Throughout the investigation, Baldwin consistently asserted that he did not pull the trigger before the gun discharged. He also emphasized that the weapon had been declared “cold” with no live ammunition by assistant director Dave Halls.
Halls had previously pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor charge of negligent use of a deadly weapon in March, receiving a sentence of six months of unsupervised probation. The armorer for the production, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, who was charged with involuntary manslaughter last year, is scheduled to begin her trial on February 21 and has also pleaded not guilty.
Detailing the sequence of events during the movie scene, Baldwin explained in a 2021 interview with ABC News that he was following direction from Hutchins, intending to draw the gun, raise it, and begin cocking the pistol before the director called for a cut. Baldwin stated that he pulled the hammer back as far as possible without actually cocking the gun.
Baldwin’s legal team, comprised of attorneys Luke Nikas and Alex Spiro, expressed their anticipation for the upcoming court proceedings. It is worth noting that Baldwin had previously faced involuntary manslaughter charges related to the on-set shooting, but the case was dropped in April. Prosecutors cited the emergence of new facts necessitating further investigation and forensic analysis at that time.
Alec Baldwin has pleaded not guilty to manslaughter in the “Rust” shooting, avoiding a formal arraignment on the charge. https://t.co/4jq2P81ekn
— Variety (@Variety) January 31, 2024