There seems to be turmoil between the prosecution and defense of the Alec Baldwin manslaughter case when he shot cinematographer Hayla Hutchins during the filming of his Western film Rust. Baldwin’s defense team and Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer have questioned his indictment and the trial process.
The shooting happened on October 21, 2021, in which a prop gun held by Baldwin went off and ended up killing Hutchins. Baldwin claims that he was told the gun was empty and that he didn’t pull the trigger when it went off.
The legal battle lasted for a year and a half until April 21, 2023, when a Santa Fe, New Mexico court dismissed an involuntary manslaughter case against the actor. This dismissal was due to new evidence being revealed and more time needed for investigation. However, it was noted that charges could be refiled against Baldwin at any given time.
This would eventually come to fruition, as he would then be recharged with involuntary manslaughter back in January of this year, according to CBS News. Hearings on this new case are happening since Baldwin’s main trial isn’t until July.
However, some speculations regarding the trial’s potential are based on these recent hearings. The defense for Baldwin is asking for the trial to be thrown out, saying that the prosecution is failing to do certain things for the trial, such as making defense witnesses available to the grand jury.
Not only this, but Judge Sommer has also noticed some supposedly questionable aspects of how prosecutor Kari Morrissey handles the case. One example was when Morrissey cut off a witness during a grand jury testimony about movie-set safety standards.
She is considering the case dismissal and will issue a ruling next week. However, even if the case were to be thrown out for the second time, the prosecution could file the case against Baldwin again.
Besides Baldwin, another worker on the set of Rust was also put on trial but has been charged with involuntary manslaughter. Hannah Gutierrez Reed, the armorer on the film’s set, is serving an 18-month sentence in New Mexico. It was found out that Gutierrez Reed accidentally loaded a live bullet into the prop gun that went off during the incident.
If Baldwin is ever found guilty, the minimum sentencing he could receive for his actions is 18 months. Time will tell next week if he is given another break from courtrooms or will stand trial in July.
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