Alec Baldwin Pleads Not Guilty to Involuntary Manslaughter in New ‘Rust’ Charges
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Alec Baldwin pleaded not guilty to a new charge of involuntary manslaughter on Wednesday in connection to the accidental shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of Rust.
The actor waived his right to an arraignment, according to New Mexico court documents. Baldwin previously pleaded not guilty to a charge of involuntary manslaughter in February 2023, but prosecutors in New Mexico ultimately dismissed the charges against the actor in April 2023 before he went to trial.
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However, after new prosecutors were assigned to the case following the dismissal, a grand jury voted to revive the criminal case against Baldwin, and recommended one of two charges to prosecutors: Involuntary manslaughter due to negligent use of a firearm – which isn’t a felony – or involuntary manslaughter without due caution or circumspect, a fourth degree felony.
Baldwin was indicted in connection to the shooting for a second time on Jan. 19. If convicted, Baldwin faces up to 18 months in prison.
The film’s armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed also faces charges of involuntary manslaughter and evidence tampering in the Oct. 21, 2021, on-set accident where Hutchins was shot and killed by the prop gun Baldwin was using, which also injured director Joel Souza while rehearsing a Rust scene. She has pleaded not guilty to charges.
David Halls, who worked as an assistant director on Rust and handed the weapon to Baldwin, was sentenced to a six-month suspended sentence with unsupervised probation as part of a plea deal in connection with the shooting. The terms of his sentence also included a $500 fine, 24 hours of community service, and a firearms safety class on a charge of negligent use of a deadly weapon.
Last week, SAG-AFTRA issued a statement defending Baldwin and criticizing the New Mexico prosecutors’ decision to re-charge the actor with involuntary manslaughter. “To the extent that the charges filed on January 19 are based on an accusation of negligent use of a firearm predicated on this or any actor having a duty to inspect a firearm as part of its use, that is an incorrect assessment of the actual duties of an actor on set,” the actors’ union wrote in a statement.
“An actor’s job is not to be a firearms or weapons expert. Firearms are provided for use on set under the guidance of multiple expert professionals directly responsible for the safe and accurate operation of that firearm.”
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