Prosecutors dropped the involuntary murder charges against Alec Baldwin for the time being. The charges against the actor stem from the shooting death of Halyna Hutchins, the “Rust” cinematographer. The newly appointed special prosecutors, Kari T. Morrissey and Jason J. Lewis confirmed the charges were dismissed.
Morrissey and Lewis said new facts that require further investigation and forensic analysis were disclosed. According to Entertainment Week, Their announcement came days before Baldwin’s May 3 preliminary hearing.
Baldwin had been charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter after the prop gun fired, striking Hutchins and director Joel Souza. The director suffered a non-life-threatening injury.
The incident happened in October 2021 on the set of “Rust” in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
According to NPR, the actor has maintained that he should not be criminally responsible for what turned out to be a loaded weapon.”
The prosecutors said: “The decision does not absolve Baldwin of criminal culpability, and charges may be refiled.”
Written by Cathy Milne-Ware
Sources:
Entertainment Week: Alec Baldwin manslaughter charges being dropped in deadly Rust shooting; by Jessica Wang and Oliver Gettell
NPR: Charges against Alec Baldwin in the ‘Rust’ movie set shooting dropped for now; by Mandalit del Barco
ABC News: Charges dropped against Alec Baldwin in fatal on-set ‘Rust’ shooting; by Aaron Katersky and Meredith Deliso
Featured and Top Image by Gage Skidmore Courtesy of Flickr – Creative Commons License
Inset Image by Joella Marano Courtesy of Flickr – Creative Commons License
