Twist in the investigation into the shooting on the set of the film “Rust” in 2021: the famous actor Alec Baldwin was indicted by a grand jury in New Mexico on two counts of manslaughter for the death of the film director Halyna Hutchins. Director Joel Souza was also injured in the accident. If found guilty, the “Thirty Rock” star could face between 18 months and five years in prison.
“We look forward to our day in court,” commented Baldwin’s lawyers Luke Nikas and Alex Spiro, who have always maintained that the actor is innocent. Similar charges had been dropped almost a year ago, but then new elements emerged that restarted the trial by entrusting the verdict to a popular jury. The actor was rehearsing a scene on the set of Rust at the Bonanza Creek Ranch near Santa Fe when the gun he was holding, which should not have contained live bullets, went off, wounding Souza in the shoulder and through a rebound killed Hutchins.
Prosecutors decided to reopen the case after subjecting the gun to further analysis, the results of which they said would contradict Baldwin's version, which was that he did not put his finger on the trigger.
“The testing determined with certainty that the shot could not have been fired without the trigger being pulled,” said prosecutor Kari Morrissey. The film's gunsmith, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, whose job was to oversee the safety of guns and ammunition, remains charged. She was also charged with involuntary manslaughter and pleaded not guilty. The report signed by Lucien Haag on which the prosecutor's new decision is based does not directly address whether the weapon, a Pietta replica of an 1873 revolver, was modified. However, he states that less than a kilo of trigger pressure is required to fire the shot, much less than a modern pistol but not unusual for a vintage weapon.
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