Alec Baldwin charged again with manslaughter over Rust film death
- The indictment follows a forensic test showing that the actor would have had to pull the trigger for the gun to fire the bullet that killed Halyna Hutchins
- Earlier charges had been dropped based on evidence the hammer of the revolver might been modified, allowing it to fire without the trigger being pulled
US actor Alec Baldwin on Friday was indicted by a grand jury in New Mexico for a second time on charges of involuntary manslaughter stemming from the shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the Western film Rust.
The indictment comes months after prosecutors dismissed previous charges filed against the actor.
Baldwin’s lawyers, Luke Nikas and Alex Spiro, issued a statement on Friday on behalf of their client saying: “We look forward to our day in court.”
Friday’s indictment followed an independent forensic test concluding that Baldwin would have had to pull the trigger of a revolver he was using in a rehearsal for it to fire the live round that killed Hutchins. The finding was the same as a previous FBI test on the firearm.
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Baldwin, who starred in the hit NBC television comedy 30 Rock, has denied pulling the trigger and said he was not responsible for Hutchins’ death.
Special prosecutor Kari Morrissey previously said she would file new charges against Baldwin if the independent test showed the reproduction long Colt .45 revolver was in “working condition”.
Prosecutors previously dismissed charges against Baldwin based on evidence the hammer of the revolver might been modified, allowing it to fire without the trigger being pulled.
The single-page indictment filed with the First Judicial District Court in Santa Fe charges Baldwin with involuntary manslaughter under two alternative bases of law – causing a death by “negligent use of a firearm” and by acting “without due caution or circumspection.”
Baldwin reportedly faces up to 18 months in jail if convicted of the new charge.
Rust film’s weapons supervisor charged with dumping drugs on day of shooting
Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the film’s armourer – the person responsible for supplying and maintaining weapons – is set to go on trial next month on charges of involuntary manslaughter and tampering with evidence.
Prosecutors say that as the person who loaded the gun, she is culpable. She denies the charges.
There has been no explanation as to how live rounds ended up on the movie set.
Dave Halls, the film’s safety coordinator and assistant director who handed Baldwin the loaded gun, agreed to a plea deal with prosecutors and was sentenced to six months’ probation.
Filming of Rust resumed last year, and has now been completed, Variety reported, using new locations in the US state of Montana.
The cinematographer’s widower, Matthew Hutchins, served as an executive producer.
He has already settled a wrongful-death suit with Rust producers, and has said he has “no interest in engaging in recriminations or attribution of blame”, calling his wife’s death “a terrible accident”.
Director Souza also returned, saying at the time that completing the movie would be “bittersweet” but that the cast and crew “are committed to completing what Halyna and I started”.
Additional reporting by Agence France-Presse
