The radically liberal Hollywood star Alec Baldwin has reportedly gone into panic mode after he was hit with a new charge in the 2021 shooting death of the cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of his movie Rust.
Baldwin Recharged
Daily Mail reported that a New Mexico grand jury charged Baldwin, 65, with involuntary manslaughter on Friday over the October 2021 shooting that killed Hutchins. He was officially charged with involuntary manslaughter on the grounds of negligent use of a firearm and disregard for others’ safety, and if convicted, he is facing up to 18 months in prison.
“We look forward to our day in court,” Baldwin’s lawyers said in response.
Gloria Allred, who is representing Hutchins’ family, celebrated the indictment.
“Our clients have always sought the truth about what happened on the day that Halyna Hutchins was tragically shot and killed on October 21, 2021,” she said. “They continue to seek the truth in our civil lawsuit for them and they also would like there to be accountability in the criminal justice system.”
“The grand jury has decided that there is sufficient evidence to indict Alec Baldwin on the charge of involuntary manslaughter,” Allred added. “We are looking forward to the criminal trial which will determine if he should be convicted for the untimely death of Halyna.”
Related: Chilling New Alec Baldwin ‘Rust’ Footage Surfaces – ‘I’m Going To Shoot’
Baldwin Panics
A source close to Baldwin told People Magazine that this indictment has been “very stressful” for both the actor and his wife Hilaria.
“They had a great Christmas and New Year. Hilaria also just turned 40. This is not how they wanted to start the new year,” the insider said. “It’s stressful for Hilaria. It’s frustrating for them both that Alec is being recharged. They knew there was a possibility there would be a new indictment. The back and forth is hard. It’s very stressful.”
Hutchins was killed and Rust director Joel Souza was injured when a gun that Baldwin was holding went off during filming. Though all charges against Baldwin were dropped in April of last year, prosecutors later announced plans to recharge him after “new facts” came to light.
“After extensive investigation over the past several months, additional facts have come to light that we believe show Mr. Baldwin has criminal culpability in the death of Halyna Hutchins and the shooting of Joel Souza,” special prosecutors Kari Morrissey and Jason Lewis said in a statement at the time, according to The Wrap.
“We believe the appropriate course of action is to permit a panel of New Mexico citizens to determine from here whether Mr. Baldwin should be held over for criminal trial,” they added.
What New Charge Means
Santa Fe-based defense attorney and former prosecutor John Day, who is not directly connected to this case, told The Associated Press that this indictment gives prosecutors a possible chance to address Baldwin’s safety obligations as a co-producer.
“We don’t know exactly what their theory is,” Day said. “It could be that they’re including his role as basically CEO of the production … not having a safe workplace and somebody dies and you’re at the top of the pyramid.”
Prior to this shooting, Baldwin had been known for decades for both his radically liberal views and his brutal temper. Do you think he deserves prison time for Hutchins’ death? Let us know in the comments section.
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