A grand jury in the state of New Mexico, in the United States, decided this Friday (19) that actor Alec Baldwin should again face manslaughter charges for the death of photography director Halyna Hutchins.
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It is worth remembering that the charge against Baldwin was dropped in April 2023 by the prosecution, who claimed they had new evidence and needed more time to investigate the case.
Hutchins died in 2021, when she was hit by a bullet fired from a stage gun that was in the actor’s hands during rehearsal for a scene in the western film “Rust”.
In New Mexico, a manslaughter charge (in which there is no intent to kill) can carry a sentence of up to 18 months in prison.
“We look forward to our day in court,” Baldwin’s attorneys, Luke Nikas and Alex Spiro, said in a statement to the New York Times.
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In addition to Halyna, director Joel Souza was also injured in the incident. The gun was loaded with real ammunition and not live ammunition. In addition to starring in “Rust,” the actor was also a producer on the film.
With this, he claims that he never pulled the trigger of the revolver, but a forensic report requested by the prosecution concluded that the object would not fire without being activated, which contributed to the decision to resurrect the accusation.
The grand jury made up of 12 people met this Thursday (18) to begin hearing the case. At least eight of them had to agree that there was probable cause for an indictment.
In addition, the production’s armorer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, also faces the same accusation. She claims to be innocent and her trial is expected to begin in February.
The first assistant director, Dave Halls, was responsible for filming safety and pleaded guilty to negligence with a deadly weapon. As a result, he avoided prison time.