Alec Baldwin, actor and producer of the film “Rust”, during filming in which Halyna Hutchins died.Europa Press/Contacto/Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Of (Europa Press/Contacto/Santa Fe C)
Alec Baldwin is about to learn his fate in the Rust case. New Mexico prosecutors will present evidence to a grand jury in mid-November from the investigation into the shooting death of photographer Halyna Hutchins nearly two years ago. In this way, it is the responsibility of a panel composed of citizens of the state where the tragedy occurred to evaluate and decide whether the actor and producer of the film should be charged with murder. “After a comprehensive investigation spanning several months, additional facts have emerged that we believe demonstrate that Mr. Baldwin bears criminal responsibility,” special prosecutors Kari Morrissey and Jason Lewis told the Associated Press Agency on Tuesday.
The prosecutor’s decision puts Baldwin back in court, something that seemed unlikely for the actor a few months ago after a series of events. However, in mid-August, Morrissey and Lewis announced that they had received new analysis of the weapon that produced the bullet that killed the filmmaker. This was conducted by ballistics experts from Arizona and New Mexico and revealed that the trigger on the revolver Baldwin was holding was activated. This version contradicts the words of the interpreter, who since the first days of the incident claimed that he did not pull the trigger, but only cocked the weapon.
“It is unfortunate that a terrible tragedy has turned into a baseless accusation,” said Baldwin’s attorneys Luke Nikas and Alex Spiro.
FBI experts came to the same conclusion in August 2022, when the federal investigative agency expressed its opinion on a case that shocked Hollywood. The second analysis of the murder weapon heightens tensions between New Mexico prosecutors and Baldwin’s defense, which has been fighting bitterly for months to prevent his client from being charged in Hutchins’ death.
Prosecutors approached the case with great caution. In April, Morrissey and Lewis dropped manslaughter charges against Baldwin, saying they believed a victory in court was unlikely. The reason for this was that the weapon used in the filming had been modified before filming. This may have caused the weapon to malfunction, which should have been checked by the armory manager and deputy director before it ended up in Baldwin’s hands. Lawyers for the actor and producer of the Western celebrated the prosecutor’s decision. This allowed the performer to resume several projects in the industry, including a comedy with Mickey Rourke and a film about the incident that occurred in 1970 at Kent State University during a protest against the Vietnam War.
The story didn’t end there. Prosecutors asked in August for some time to assess whether they have a strong enough case to go to trial. Morrissey, who has led the prosecution since March, did not rule out that the expert report could revive the case against Baldwin.
It has been almost two years since Halyna Hutchins died. During this time, neither the authorities nor the production have solved the big mystery of the case: How did real bullets get to the filming set? David Halls, the assistant director for Joel Souza (who was also injured in the shoulder by the projectile), pleaded guilty in March to the crime of irresponsible use of a firearm. In exchange for cooperating with authorities in solving the incident, he received a reduced sentence of six months probation.
Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the head of the armory, is also charged with omissions during the shooting. He pleaded not guilty and his trial will begin in December. His lawyer Jason Bowles assured a few months ago that the report assumes that the revolver had not been modified, which would affect the veracity of the version that the weapon was fired accidentally and had to be activated instead. The FBI also documented in its testing that the weapon could only be fired after a hard blow without drawing the hammer.
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